NeverEnding Promise
by crizarah
Summary: Some people arrive in Japan, and weeks after, another freshman gets accepted into the Regulars' lineup. Who are they and why did the rules of the entire tournament change? Coincidence? Ryoma thinks otherwise. After all, "she" and coincidence don't mix.
1. Prologue

**_Neverending Promise: Fuji Tennis no Oujisama Shuusuke_**

**_Neverending Promise: Fuji Tennis no Oujisama Shuusuke_**

**A/N:** _text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

* * *

**_Story Prologue_**

_A girl was thrown forward, her short lilac hair brushing against her cheeks. Her lips were still bleeding from the punch she had gotten from those bullies._

_Second grade and still the object to beat up. It was always the same. They would get into large groups, corner her and beat her up until she gave them the answers to that day's homework._

_Which she never did._

_That was why she always ended up a bloody pulp. What did they take her for, and idiot? Why would she give them her homework?_

_The dastards snatched her bag and emptied it out on the ground. A wry smile played upon the girl's lips when they only found pens, paper and an extra notebook._

_One of them saw her and kicked her gut hard. She shut her eyes and willed her tear ducts to be inactive, but failed._

"_Where's your homework?" their apparent leader asked._

_Another wry smile accompanied her curt reply. "It's what's holding you up."_

_After a few more beatings, she had finally outsmarted them by doing all of her homework at school and leaving them all in her locker. Since only two other people know her locker combination, the bullies had no access to her homework. Not that they were even smart enough to find out what she was doing._

_They grunted and kicked her all the more._

"_Yamero! Get away from her!"_

_The bullies stopped kicking her, giving the girl a chance to look up at her savior._

_Standing in the corner was Fuji Shuusuke. Fourth grade and a family friend, he assumed it his duty to protect her._

_The girl tired to sit up. Shuusuke was enraged when he saw the thin line of blood trickling from the corner of her lips. He let out a long cry as he tackled the leader of the bullies. It took several minutes for him to wound the big kid, but when he did, the brawny kid cried all the way home. Seeing their leader defeated, the cowards all ran._

_Shuusuke helped the girl up. "Are you okay?"_

_The girl nodded. "I'm kinda used to it by now."_

_He tilted his head. "Are you sure?" Another nod. "I'm going with you on your way home in case they come back."_

_The girl winced as Shuusuke applied a wet cloth on her face. As usual, they were at the playground where they spend time chatting or, in this case, mending her wounds._

_They walked toward the swings and sat there, not saying anything until the sun started setting. The girl looked at the sky, crimson, orange and yellow, made a decision and held Shuusuke's hand._

"_Shuusuke-nii-chan," she started, "next time you see me near the entrance to the school I'll be an entirely different person. I won't be the same kid that they beat up. I'll be someone stronger."_

_Shuusuke tilted his head in confusion. "But won't I see you tomorrow?"_

_The girl disregarded this statement of his and continued. "I'll be someone you, Nee-chan, Aniki, and Oneesan can be proud of. I'll learn how to play tennis properly and we'll have a decent match."_

"_But we're already proud of you. You're a straight A student. Besides, every time we play tennis, I enjoy our game, and that's what's important"_

_He was once again disregarded. "I'll try to be like you, and I'll get into sports and become a Regular player!"_

_There was a very long pause, after which Shuusuke made his own promise. He held the girl's hand in his, saying, "When I do see you again, we'll have a match as you said. I also promise to protect you and not let you get hurt. Nobody's going to harm you as long as I'm here."_

_The girl took one long look at him, gave him a hug and said goodbye._

_Shuusuke had absolutely no idea that that would be their last meeting in a long time._

"What's the name of the school? Seigaku right?" a blue-violet-ish-haired guy said asked the girl beside him. "Excited to go to Japan?"

"Pretty much," the girl replied, taking their dinner tray from the plane stewardess.

"Akari-nee-chan." The girl looked ad her cousin with an inquiring look. "I don't want to use my real identity."

"Again," she smiled. "You really don't like your real identity being exposed more than necessary, do you?"

"Think of it this way," her cousin said. "I like it as much as you like being chased by your fans."

Akari smirked. "All it took was five years for us to rub off on each other."

"_What the hell happened to you?" the girl's then sixth grade brother asked when he saw his sister's wounded face._

"_Watch your tongue," her half-sister, then third grade, warned._

"_Who did this to you?" her brother continued. "Did those kids do it again? I swear I'll-"_

"_Aniki, shut it!" Thankfully, she had seen her sister's exasperated face._

"_But those kids are too much!"_

"_Don't worry," the girl said. "They're not doing it again."_

_Her eldest sister came down from the second floor, surprising her siblings as usual. "Elaborate."_

_The girl took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Remember the financial assistance thing Uncle Tsunashi and Aunt Arzelle offered me?"_

"_The one where you'll get supported by them?"_

"…_The one where you get an allowance, choose your school, have access to everything and luxury…," her brother said dreamily._

" …_But you'll be staying in America, hours away from us," her half sister pointed out._

"_I'm taking it."_

_She could remember all too clearly the incredulous looks on her siblings' faces when she said that._

_The eldest sighed through her nose. "Give me three valid reasons and you're clear."_

"My gosh, it's big!" Akari cried when she saw what was to be their house while they resided in Japan.

"And it's entitled to you, Akari-sama," Albert, head butler said.

"I should have the smaller one," she whined, pertaining to the eight hundred twenty eight square meter house not that far away. "…Though it's not really small."

"That's mine," her cousin pointed out.

"Yeah," she pouted and went in.

Adrian, her butler, helped them go through the maze-like mansion. Once they reached the room that Akari and her cousin will share, they told both butlers to sleep.

"Akari-nee-chan."

"Yes?" she asked, stretching on the bed.

"Let's fix my papers."

Akari smiled, seeing his sleepy eyes. "I'm going to take a bath first. That okay with you?"

When Akari emerged from the humongous bathroom three and a half hours later, her cousin was already sleeping.

"As expected," Akari muttered, getting her laptop, well, one of them anyway, and beginning the work on their documents.

It was not until the first rays of the sun peeked through the mountain range that she considered taking a break.

"Morning," she greeted when her cousin rose from the bed.

"You, as usual, did all the work yourself." Despite his sleepy eleven-year-old face, Akari knew that he was itching for work. "Forty-two more hours 'till you get deranged."

Akari stood up, stretched and said, "I'm already crazy. Split personality, remember? Besides, my body's limit for being deprived of sleep is not one-twenty hours."

Her cousin smirked and went into the bathroom with some clothes. When he came out, he was wearing a shirt under a black blue jogging suit.

"Hakucho Hayato. Class One, Freshman."

"It's okay," Hayato walked toward the side of the bed Akari was leaning on and examined their documents. He took particular interest in the last few pages. "Is he the one who gets into the Regulars' Lineup?"

"If he gets to beat everyone in his block," Akari answered.

"So tell me…" He opened the small refrigerator beside their bed and rummaged for something to drink. "…Just how will someone be in two places at a time?"

"Time management," Akari answered, smirking. She pressed Alt + Tab and switched to Photoshop Editor. A picture of a guy was there. Another application switched showed him in full 3D image.

"The things you can do with computers…" Hayato shook his head. "If you're up to it, there's a tennis competition later. I'm in the Juniors Division. I think I saw that guy's name in the Seniors."

Akari headed for the bathroom, her clothes in hand. "I don't doubt _he_'ll be there."

Seated in the middle of a nearly empty train was a raven-haired boy with stoic onyx eyes. His eyes were closed, but he was not unaware of the people surrounding him. A girl sat nervously beside him, her long brown hair covering her face. Several boys stood before them, all of whom were dressed in tan suits with green ties. The boy with orange hair, standing in the middle of the group, held a light blue tennis racquet.

"Idiots, you don't even know your own grip?" he said, swinging his racquet back and forth. Each swing came within centimeters of the girl's face. "If you want to do topspin, you have to use the Western Grip. This grip is when you hold the racquet like you are shaking someone's hand, with your thumb in front."

"That is why you are the ace at Kitagoe Tennis Club," one of his friends complimented. The orange-haired boy nodded his head in approval, continuing to swing his racquet, causing the girl to close her eyes in fright.

"You're too loud," the raven-haired boy said, opening his eyes. They all turned to look at him.

"I can't believe I just got told off by a short high school kid, probably a freshie," he said, annoyed. Suddenly, the train hit a sharp turn, causing the entire compartment to shake and the orange-haired boy dropped his racquet. He bent over, cursing, to pick it up.

"If you didn't know, picking up a racquet is the correct Western Grip."

"What?" he asked, turning to the boy.

"The grip you were referring to is known as the Eastern Grip, or the handshake grip. Some people tend to mix up the two." The boy took out a black cap and placed it on his head.

The train stopped and he got out, leaving the orange-haired boy yelling behind him.

"Do you know which way it is to Kakinokizaka Tennis Garden?" the boy asked fifteen minutes later. He seemed to be either a short high school student or a tall junior high school kid, wearing his black cap and a blue jacket. A black tennis bag hung on his shoulders, with _"Yamato R"_ written on it.

"Oh, it's you from the train! I'm going to Kakinozaka Tennis Garden too, with my grandmother. Are you playing? This is my first time watching tennis," the girl with long brown hair said.

"So where is it?" he asked bluntly.

"Ah, sorry. Um…You use the South Exit and go straight," she said, looking at the orange map for directions.

"South Exit? Thanks," he said, walking off.

Moments later, another guy, this time with greenish-black hair, a white cap and a red-accented pink jacket with _"Ryoma E" _written on his black tennis bag, came up and asked the same question. He received the same answer and walked off.

"You're late," the girl said to the lady who had jogged up to her fifteen minutes later. "By thirty minutes."

"Sorry," she said. She chuckled at Sakuno when her face turned bright pink in frustration. "Let's go, Sakuno."

The old lady led her to the North Exit before Sakuno suddenly stopped. She had begun to look uneasy. "But this is the North Exit."

"Yes, Kakinokizaka Tennis Garden is just off the North Exit," her grandmother said, pointing ahead of them. "Let's hurry or we're going to miss some great matches."

The onyx-eyed boy walked out of the tent, his cap blocking his eyes, disappointed that he lost his match by default. He walked down the main pathway, stopping occasionally when a good point was being played. He decided to lie on the grass and quietly sip some apple-flavored Ponta. Beside him, the greenish-black-haired boy was sleeping.

"Hey, it's that guy from the train," came a man's voice. A soda can flew between the two boys, landing a few feet outside the trash can.

Both boys sat up, finding the three people from the train standing behind them. The one who had shown the wrong grip had changed from his tan-colored uniform and wore purple-and-white tennis shirt with long maroon shorts.

"It looks like he's ready to leave," one of the orange-haired boy's friend said. "He most likely lost."

The orange-haired boy stuck out his racquet, lifting the other's cap, revealing his stoic onyx eyes. "I'm ceded in the Seniors' Tournament, and also one of the people aiming for the trophy."

"Don't give me that look of yours," he said, quickly angered by the onyx-eyed one's apparent nonchalance. "It's way too early for a kid like you to talk to me about tennis, you ignorant brat! Go get some milk first to hasten the growth of your bones. Already in Senior High and yet you look like a Junior High!"

"What do you think you're doing?" the one with hazel eyes asked, stopping the racquet the boy had swung directly at Yamato's face.

"Let's go," said one of his friends. The three older boys turned around and started walking away.

"Did you learn the grip yet?" the onyx-eyed asked. The older boys turned to see an impression of a smirk on his stoic face. "If not…"

"I'll teach you what tennis is all about," both boys said simultaneously.

"Shoji, get dressed," the orange-haired guy said angrily. "We're going to teach these brats a thing or two about tennis."

"Sasabe, you still have matches remaining in the tournament," said the last member of Sasabe's group. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

"This will be a good warm up," Sasabe said confidently. "Ready to play?"

"Yes Sasabe," Shoji answered, having changed into an outfit consisting of a white-and-black tennis shirt and knee-length black shorts.

"I'm going easy on you," both boys heard the other mutter.

"I don't play Doubles," the more stoic of the two said when he saw that the other pair was preparing for it.

"Why? Afraid you'll screw up and blame it on the other one, like beginners usually do?" Sasabe sneered.

The one with onyx orbs pulled down his cap and began stretching.

"Best of one set, Sasabe to serve," Sasabe's friend called out.

"You're both okay with no referee? We'll self-judge, okay?" Sasabe said. Both boys got ready for his serve. "Don't worry, I'll give you a handicap. Here, an underhand serve."

He did as he said, hitting a slow serve with a very high bounce.

"Play seriously," the hazel-eyed yelled, hitting the ball past Shoji, far into the left-hand corner of their court.

"0-15."

"So this is where he went off to," Sakuno's grandmother said as they watched outside the wire fence. "This certainly looks interesting."

"Don't you think you should stop this?" Sakuno asked, nervous. "It looks like they're playing two senior high school students. What if they get hurt?"

"What are you saying?" the older woman asked. "Didn't you see that boy's return?"

"Sasabe, maybe you should actually try to win," Shoji said cautiously.

"Shut up!" Sasabe yelled. "Anyone can ace a return if it is an underhand serve."

"Yup, there are those who make excuses for losing," the hazel-eyed said to his partner, making sure it was loud enough for the others to hear.

"You brat!" Sasabe served in the onyx-eyed one's direction.

"That's Sasabe's Bullet Serve!" one of his friends called from the sidelines.

"Much too slow." He returned the serve back easily, using twice the power.

Sasabe managed to hit the ball back, though he looked very shocked. They started a rally before Sasabe hit the ball towards the hazel-eyed one, who instantly hit an overhead smash, sending the ball directly in between Shoji's feet, ending the point.

"0-30."

"I know!" Sasabe yelled to his friend. "Stop keeping count!"

"Sugoi na," Sakuno said quietly as the boy ended the point.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," her grandmother said proudly.

"Do you know him, Grandma?" Sakuno asked.

"The other one is known as the Prince of Tennis," the elderly lady said.

"Prince of Tennis?" Sakuno repeated, tilting his head in confusion.

"Echizen Ryoma, twelve years old. He managed to win four consecutive Junior Tournaments in the United States. The other one, I have no idea of, as of now."

"0-40."

"Ryoma is the son of one of my students," she continued. "When his family and he moved to Japan, he said he would compete in this tournament, even though he isn't known here. I told him that if he was that strong, he should ender the Junior instead of the Midget Division, but he said he won't compete unless it was in the Seniors' Division."

"Game won by Echizen-Yamato pair."

"You're appearing in the finals, right?" Yamato taunted.

"Let's end this quickly then," Ryoma said, finishing his sentence. He started to bounce the ball as he got ready to serve from the baseline.

"Echizen Service."

Ryoma threw the ball and served, sending it speeding in Sasabe's direction. Sasabe did not even move as the ball flew past him.

"15-0."

Ryoma served the ball again, this time towards Shoji. The opponent hit the ball back, letting him and Sasabe to rush to the net. Ryoma hit the ball towards Sasabe who volleyed back, out of Ryoma's reach in the alley.

"30-40."

After Ryoma's serve, both high school students ran to the net. Ryoma hit a high lob that flew high over their heads and landed right before the baseline.

"Deuce," Ryoma said, his face unreadable.

"Do you think we should stop?" Shoji asked Sasabe quietly. "If we continue and lose, we will both be laughed at if we lose to the to an elementary school student and a short high school kid."

Sasabe gritted his teeth and awaited Ryoma's next serve. As Sasabe returned the serve, they both approached the net. Like the rally before, Ryoma set a high lob to the baseline. Sasabe ran after it this time, still not reaching it. The ball bounced directly in front of the baseline again.

"Out," Sasabe called. "Too bad, it was very close."

'If there's something I hate…' Yamato thought, clenching his racquet tighter. '…It's dirty players.'

"Advantage Sasabe."

Ryoma served the ball to Shoji, and they both approached the net. Shoji hit the ball to Yamato. He hit the ball toward Sasabe. Sasabe hit an overhead smash, aiming it back at Yamato. The onyx-eyed lobbed the ball, aiming for the baseline.

"Baka!" Sasabe yelled. "As long as I'm judging, all those shots will be out."

Both boys on the opposite court had smirks on their faces. They watched the ball stop immediately on the baseline, spinning on the ground for a few seconds before slowing down.

"Wh-What happened?" Shoji asked. Both high school boys looked equally shocked.

"He's good," Sakuno's grandmother said. "He added a slice to the lob, allowing it to stop right before the baseline."

"Hey…" They looked at the half-stoic, half-mocking face of Yamato. "…Was that in?"

Several minutes later, the score reached 3-0, with the Echizen-Yamato pair leading.

"You arrogant brat," Sasabe yelled, throwing his racquet at Ryoma's face. The latter had just hit another lob to the far left corner before the racquet hit him. He fell, letting his racquet go.

Yamato ran to Ryoma and kneeled next to him. Ryoma was on fours, clutching his face, drops of bright red blood fell on the green court.

"Sorry, sorry," Sasabe said, smirking, as he bent over the net to pick up his racquet. "My hand slipped.

"Ryoma, are you okay?" Sakuno, who had just ran into the court, asked.

"Do not come onto the court during a game," Ryoma said, pushing her away slightly before standing up.

"Your grip is weak," Yamato said in his usual voice.

"Mada mada dane," both said, adjusting their caps. Ryoma had a thin line of blood flowing between his eyes from where the racquet had hit him.

"5-0."

Ryoma bounced the ball a few times, getting ready for his serve. Yamato waited patiently at the net, bending his knees. Ryoma crossed his right foot over his left, bent his knees, leaned to the right, and twisted his shoulders as he tossed the ball. He jumped and swung at the ball, sending it flying over the net.

The ball bounced in the middle of the service box before flying directly at Sasabe's face, missing by centimeters.

"15-0," Yamato said, a small smirk on his face.

"What…was that?" Shoji asked.

Ryoma moved to the other side, using the same serve to aim at Shoji. Once again, the ball bounced halfway in the service box before hitting Shoji in his face, leaving a bright red mark.

"Twist Serve?" Sasabe's friend asked. "Was that the Twist Serve?"

"30-0," Ryoma called out, bouncing the ball. He served toward Sasabe, knocking him over as the ball hit his face.

"40-0." Ryoma got ready to serve again, staring straight at Sasabe. "Go to hell."

"Stop!" Shoji yelled as he clutched his head in the middle of the service box.

"Baka," RRyoma said as his serve bounced once over the terrified high school student.

"Game and set won by Echizen-Yamato pair."

"Fools!" Sasabe spat. "We weren't playing seriously. We could beat you if we played one more set!"

"Sasabe, just stop," Shoji warned. Both he and Yamato had gotten off the court, leaving Ryoma and Sasabe.

"Don't you get it, baka?" Yamato asked Sasabe. "You can beat neither me nor him, however hard you try."

"What are you talking about?" Sasabe asked.

Yamato pointed to Ryoma. "He's left-handed."

Ryoma let go of his racquet and caught it with his left. He served, making it land between Sasabe's legs, causing the high school student to fall over.

"I quit!" Sasabe yelled, as he and his friends ran away.

"It's big," Hayato commented as they stood in front of the junior high building. "I'll get our uniforms. Stroll around a bit."

"Let's meet at the tennis court?" Akari asked and received an affirmative.

As she followed the path to the courts, Akari heard the distant whacking of racquets against tennis balls. She marveled at the number of trees that were older than her, and she could not wait to get to the lake she heard gushing by forty, fifty, yards away.

"…Fuji, Singles Two. Tezuka, Singles One."

Akari looked up. The person speaking was the same elderly woman from a few days back. She stood in front of a row of boys, who Akari assumed were that month's Regulars, based on their number.

Their backs were turned to her so she could not see their faces. Even though, several people caught her attention.

"Talk about growth spurt…" Akari muttered as she looked at them. She herself was only a head shorter than most Juniors and Seniors, but she still had to look up to some people—literally.

"Excited?"

Akari almost jumped. In her astonishment, he had not heard or felt him coming as she normally does when he does not hide his presence from her. 'It's that or he's becoming stealthier.'

"Sure you can do our task here?" he asked.

Akari nodded. "My ankle's not that bad anymore. Same with my wrist."

"What idiot would even think of kicking down a two-inch-thick door made of pure titanium alloy?" he asked rhetorically.

"Well at least we're alive," Akari countered.

A moment of silence passed, broken only by the Tennis Club's activities. Finally, Hayato broke it.

"Let's go. We have so many things to prepare for."

"Yeah…and they don't," Akari said ironically, smirking, gaining her a raised brow from Hayato.


	2. Encounter With the Juniors

**_Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Tennis no Oujisama (Syuusuke)_**

**_Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Tennis no Oujisama (Syuusuke)_**

**A/N:** _text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

* * *

**_Chapter Two: Encounter with the Juniors_**

"What's this?" Hayato asked, turning the open magazine which lay on Akari's desk. It was the current month's Pro Tennis Magazine issue.

"Joint Special. Back to the 80's. Japan's Golden Age," he read out loud. The article had some pictures of a man with long brown hair with a white band of cloth tied around his forehead.

"An article written by Innoue Mamoru," Akari said as she read over the article. "Don't you have to go to class?"

"You do too," he remarked and they both got ready.

The walk to school was silent, as usual, but both enjoyed the serenity of it. It was dark, but Akari was walking with her eyes half-closed. They separated and Akari went to her locker, after which she went to her classroom.

Almost everyone's head turned to see the new student who had entered their classroom. Lucky enough, there were only few, it being only six fifteen in the morning. The people were intrigued when they saw her. They had enough reason to be, honestly, for Akari's butt-length straight lavender hair was laid down, going over the sleeves of her gakuran male military-style uniform and framing her face.

"Is she a he or is he a she??" came across the room as she walked to the farthest corner, nearest the window, ignoring everybody else.

* * *

"Are you going to sign up for the tennis club?" Akari asked Hayato as the two walked with sling bags over their shoulders.

"Dance Club first," he replied. "You?"

"Same." Akari stopped in front of her locker and rummaged around, emerging with a tennis bag. Hayato's brow rose. With a sly smirk, Akari said, "Screening for Dance Club isn't till five."

* * *

"Echizen, Yamato, wait up," called someone from behind. Both stopped to see a brown-haired boy from Ryoma's class running to catch up with them. A school bag hung over his right shoulder while a tennis racquet in a jacket hung over his left. "You're the Echizen from my class and the Yamato from Class One, right? Are you joining the tennis club too?"

"Who are you?" Ryoma asked bluntly as both stared at him.

"I'm Horio," he replied in an arrogant voice after clearing his throat. "As you may know, this school is famous for its tennis. There are a lot of strong players. Even though I look like this, I have two years of tennis experience."

"Hey, wait up!" he called when he saw that he was talking to nobody and that the two other freshmen were already at the courts, and ran to catch up.

'_I wonder what's wrong with them,'_ Horio thought as he watched Yamato and Ryoma walking with their eyes closed.

"Oops." The two boys opened their eyes to see a tall boy with spiky black hair and violet eyes. "If you don't look where you're going, you're going to hit someone"

'_I think that's one of the…Hm…'_ Yamato thought as he and Ryoma stared at the guy in front.

"That's a big bag you're carrying." He frowned. "I don't like your look. But since you both are freshmen, I'll let it pass this time."

'_Uh-huh…'_ Yamato was almost rolling his eyes mentally.

"Look in front when you walk," he waved as he walked to the school building, the smile back on his face.

"It's just like Seigaku to have nice facilities," Horio said suddenly. "Let's go sign up now."

"You can't." The three freshmen looked and found two other freshmen near the entrance of the first block of courts. Both were wearing identical white shirts and red shorts.

"The Juniors and Seniors have a game with another school," the taller boy with his black hair cropped short.

"Sign up begins tomorrow," said the other shorter one with longer black hair. He was kneeling next to his bag, putting out some tennis balls. "Most freshmen have already left, but we want to hit some balls before we go."

"Damn, this sucks," Horio sighed.

"Hey, are you guys going to join our club?" a junior with medium brown hair and tanned skin asked. He was in a blue tennis jersey, with a white shirt underneath, and white shorts. Standing next to him was a slightly taller guy with bluish hair, also wearing the jersey, but with matching pants.

"Ah hello," Horio and the two other boys said. They all bowed at the same time to the two older boys standing inside the court.

"I'm Mizuno Katsuo, a freshman," the taller boy from earlier said.

"Kachiro Katou," said the other.

"I'm Horio Satoshi," he said, scratching the back of his head as he smiled to the two older boys. "I'm honored to be able to join a tennis club as renowned as Seigaku's. I have two years of tennis experience."

"You two over there…What are your names?" the boy with bluish hair asked. Ryoma and Yamato stood there, unresponsive and only eyeing the brown-haired boy. Annoyed, the inquirer yelled, "Hey! Can't you hear me?"

"It's okay," the boy with brown hair said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We know a good game. Want to try it?"

"Game?"

"You mean _that_?" blue-haired one asked. When he saw the look on his companion's face, he ushered the three freshmen into the court, saying, "Right, right. You have to play that."

"The rules are simple. You serve from over there and try to hit this can with only ten attempts," the brown-haired one explained. He placed a can near the service line. "The prize money is one thousand yen. Well, it's like a sign-up ritual."

"Tryout fee is two hundred yen per person. Want to try it?" coaxed the other one.

"Of course we'll do it!" the three boys exclaimed eagerly. "Senpai's please allow us to try it out."

"That's the spirit!" the russet-haired boy said, turning around and smirking as he and his companion quietly laughed.

Yamato and Ryoma were at the sidelines, watching, with the former standing, his hands in his pockets, and the latter leaning wordlessly against the fence.

"You guys really suck," Horio said as he stepped up to the baseline confidently.

"You can say that, but this is our first try at tennis," Katsuo said, he and Kachiro bending over in exhaustion and disappointment. Both had finished serving ten balls, none even managing to touch the can.

"We can't hit such a small thing with only ten balls," Kachiro piped up.

"I, Horio, with two years of tennis experience, will now try," he announced, then having changed from his school uniform to a vibrant green shirt with orange accents and red shorts.

"It's not supposed to be like this," he said when his third ball flew above the can, as his other shots had.

The two other freshmen just watched, both having something in common. Horio had hit nine of his balls, and his last one grazed just the top of the can, not moving it.

"Too bad," the brown-haired junior said as he got off from the umpire's seat.

"That was difficult after all," Horio said, scratching the back of his head. He dug into his pocket, took out some coins and held them out to the older boys, as the other freshmen were doing. "So the tryout fee was two hundred yen."

"Huh? Maybe you guys misunderstood," said the taller one.

"Knock-the-Can-Down Serve Game." One of them turned the can around, revealing a slip of paper taped to the side. Smirking, he read, "One hundred yen per ball, two hundred tryout fee. Together, that's one thousand two hundred yen."

"What! We don't have that kind of money!" the three freshmen exclaimed.

"You two over there…" the brown-haired called with a smirk on his face. "…You should both try this too."

"Don't you think you can save them?" taunted the other one.

"Sure, I'll do it," Ryoma said as he stood up. Yamato was doing the same thing. The two walked over to their tennis bags and produced their respective racquets.

The three other freshmen watched their saviors in mild amusement. Yamato was around 160 centimeters tall five feet, three inches which made him seem more like a short senior than a freshman. He was in black shorts and a blue-accented white shirt. His legs and arms were wrapped in white arm warmers think Sasuke style and his blue cap had an "R" embossed on it. Ryoma was shorter, just right for his age, in black shorts and a red-accented white shirt, his white cap also with an "R" on it.

The brown-haired junior produced another can and waited smugly as the two prepared to hit the target. Yamato went to the baseline, twirling his white-and-blue racquet repeatedly, the black grip creating a sort of illusion. Ryoma was standing beside him on the other half of the court, gripping his red racquet on its black grip.

"Don't do it Echizen, Yamato!" Horio warned. "You'll never hit it."

"You can't knock it down if you aimed directly at the can," Ryoma said.

"Wh…What do you mean?" the brown-haired junior asked. A drop of sweat rolled down his cheek.

"There are rocks in there, right?" Yamato asked, having spoken for the first time since his arrival. He threw the ball upwards and hit it with precision. The green ball hit the lid of Yamato's designated can, making it topple over and revealing the rocks inside.

"Sugoi! He can hit the top of the can with pinpoint accuracy!" Katsuo said in amazement.

"Ah! The senpai's cheated!" Horio yelled.

Yamato twirled the racquet around his hand a few more times before getting out of the court. Ryoma served his ball without any effort. H repeated it a few more times, shocking the others.

"If I can hit the can one hundred times, then you'll owe me one hundred thousand yen, right?" Ryoma taunted as he got ready to give another serve. He hit the can about five more times before he was stopped.

"How can you use that tone to a junior?" the blue-haired one said.

"Just because you were born a year earlier, doesn't mean you can do something like this." Ryoma got ready to serve again when a ball suddenly flew by, hitting the can right in the middle. When it did, it left a large dent and sent the ball flying to the fence.

"Oh, I hit it, lucky," came a familiar voice.

"Oh, the guy from before," Horio said.

"Hey, Arai, just because the seniors aren't here, doesn't mean you can bully the new freshmen," the spiky-haired boy with violet eyes said.

"Mo…Momo…something came up so I'll be leaving first," Arai stuttered as he scrambled away.

"Hey, who said you could go?" the Momo guy asked. Arai faced him before taking another step back.

"Yup it's him, Ryoma," Sakuno said as she was pulled by someone, with two adults following them. "And it's the other guy from the tournament."

"So cool!" the other girl muttered. "Sakuno, who is that? Introduce him!"

"Oh…This is Echizen Ryoma," Sakuno said. "And the other one, from the tournament…I think his name was Yamato…Yes, Yamato something."

"Heh, so you're Echizen Ryoma? Much smaller than I thought," the junior with violet orbs jibed. "And who might this be?"

"Who are you?" Ryoma asked, his voice tinged with slight annoyance.

"Second Year, Momoshiro Takeshi," he announced. "I heard from Ryuzaki-sensei that you could use the Twist Serve. And just recently, she couldn't stop talking about another guy she saw at the Seniors Tournament. Was that you?"

"You won't know if you don't see for yourself," Yamato said in an unreadable voice.

'_Geez, why does he have such a cold voice and a stoic face? It's almost unnerving!'_ Momoshiro thought, smirking to cover his real thoughts.

"So how about it?" Ryoma asked, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"I'll crush you both," Momoshiro said confidently.

"It'll be a handicap match. You and Echizen against me, okay?" Momoshiro asked.

"No." Momoshiro raised his brow at Yamato's reply. "I don't play Doubles."

"Fine then, I'll play against each of you, one on one," Momoshiro shrugged. He turned to Ryoma as Yamato exited the court. "Which?"

"Smooth."

"Which? Smooth?" Katsuo and Kachiro asked, confused at the two vocabularies.

"That's why I don't like beginners," Horio said arrogantly. Holding up his racquet for demonstration, he explained, "Those are terms used to determine who serves first. If the grip faces right side up, it's called smooth. If it faces down side up, it's called rough."

"Too bad, it's rough," Momoshiro said. "Well, I'll let you serve, but I'll take this court."

"Momoshiro-senpai, don't you want to serve first?" Horio asked loudly. "You won the toss."

"I want to see the Twist Serve right away," the elder replied.

"Momoshiro-senpai, you're so cool!"

"Call me Momo-chan," Momoshiro said with a welcome note.

"I can't call you that! Can I be the umpire?"

"Go ahead," Momoshiro answered.

Horio eagerly climbed up the ladder and sat on the chair. Clearing his throat, he began. "Er…and now, the game between Momoshiro-senpai and Echizen will begin. The referee will be me, Horio, who has two years of tennis experience."

"Forget about all that and begin the game!" yelled the annoying girl from outside the courts.

"So now, Best-of-One-Set Match. Echizen to serve," Horio announced.

"Out," Momoshiro called as Ryoma's first serve landed just outside the service box. The senpai held out his racquet and pointed it at Ryoma. "I don't' want any slice serves. Don't hold out on me."

"No," came Ryoma's blunt reply.

"Arrogant brat," Momoshiro mused.

Obliging to his senpai's request, Ryoma crossed his right foot over his left, leaned to his right, jumped and served. The ball flew over the net, stopping right before Momoshiro, flying up and knocking Momoshiro's racquet from his hand.

"Scary, scary." Momoshiro leaned over to pick up his racquet. He walked to the net and crouched down in a ready position. "Caught me off guard."

"Are you okay?" Ryoma asked, smirking slightly and causing his senpai to frown. "You're sweating."

"Fifteen-Love," Horio called from the umpire chair.

Ryoma bounced the ball a few times and performed the Twist Serve again.

"Thirty-Love, Echizen leading."

Ryoma served again. As soon as the ball touched Ryoma's racquet, Momoshiro rushed to the net and hit the serve right after it bounced. It bounced once over the net before falling over on Ryoma's side. Ryoma ran and got it before it bounced again.

"Out," Momoshiro called.

"Thirty-Fifteen, Echizen leading."

"He returned the serve," said an amazed Katsuo.

Ryoma went to the other side and served. A rally started, the ball constantly being hit back and forth. Ryoma ended it by suddenly hitting a drop volley right before the net.

"Drop volley," Momoshiro muttered as he fell down. "You can do that too?"

"Forty-Fifteen, Echizen leading."

"Mada mada dane," Ryoma smirked and transferred his racquet to his left hand.

"Time out," Momoshiro said just before Ryoma threw the ball up. Waving his hand, he said, "I quit. It's over. I'll let you go, for now."

"Doesn't matter to me," Ryoma said as he walked out of the court, putting his gakuran over his tennis outfit.

"That was great!" Horio exclaimed as he stood in front of Ryoma, trying to see inside his bag.

"I was very surprised," came Kachiro, who was standing next to him.

"Echizen, what clubs do you train at?" Horio asked.

Ryoma looked up at them, and replied in a monotonous voice, "Temple."

"Temple?" the three boys chorused.

"Wait, Tomo-chan," Sakuno said as the annoying girl pulled her into the court.

"Good to make your acquaintance," Tomoko said, bowing to Ryoma. "I'm friends with Ryuzaki Sakuno. My name is Osakada Tomoka. Nice to meet you."

"He…Hello Ryoma-kun," Sakuno stuttered, blushing. "I'm sorry about last time."

"Ryuzaki Sakuno?" Ryoma blinked. "Who's that?"

"You don't remember?" Sakuno's face turned red from embarrassment.

"Next?" Momoshiro was looking expectantly at Yamato.

Yamato let his gaze rest on him for a while. "Sorry. I generally don't play with injured people."

With that, he made his exit, nine pairs of eyes trailing on him.

* * *

"Are you okay with this, Momoshiro?" the old woman asked.

"Ah, Ryuzaki-sensei," he said, slightly shocked that she could appear in so many places.

"At this rate, the freshmen will have run all over you," Sakuno's grandmother said. "What more if you played them both?"

"You could be right," Momoshiro replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Be serious," his coach said, crossing her arms over her chest. "If your right foot wasn't sprained, you could've—"

"Nope. They both knew from the start," Momoshiro said. "That's why the other one refused to play with me."

"Really?" Ryuzaki mused.

"One used his other hand to play a senpai," he said. "How scary. What's his name again?"

"Echizen Ryoma," Ryuzaki said for the hundredth time.

"No, I meant the other one."

"He's…I think his files said his name is Yamato Rai."

"Scary, scary," Momoshiro said, placing his racquet over his shoulder before walking away.

* * *

Rai walked along a deserted street. He was nearing a narrow alley when something caught his attention.

"Hey you!"

He stopped but did not turn. A group of high school students had been following him since he got off the bullet train. Also, Rai noticed that all four of them had been his opponents in another tennis competition, held days after the one with Sasabe.

"You there." One of them stepped forward, his voice gruff. "You short little kid. You took what was ours!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rai said as he saw another group of boys walking around the corner. "Neither do I know who you are."

The other group farther away was a group of six junior high students. From Seigaku. In _tennis_ jerseys. Rai's face showed sheer indifference and nonchalance as he looked straight ahead, in the direction of the junior highs.

"Should we do something?" a red-head with a cat-like face asked.

"Not until we know what this is about," another, one with thick black-rimmed glasses, said.

"Don't give me that hit!" Finally, Rai turned his head to see the high school kids seething with rage. "You must've cheated to win my trophy!"

The exasperation was not seen on his face, but Rai said, as uncaring as possible, "There are really those who think they're the best in everything in the world, and think they possess everything. If the trophy was yours, then there'd be no need for a contest."

"I got it last year!" he raged "You must have bribed the umpires!"

Rai faced front again. "How would bribing an umpire affect the direction that the ball goes?"

He started walking until he felt a hand gripping his shoulder. Honestly, the grip wasn't firm enough. For Rai, it was slack.

"Let go." Rai's voice was positively lower and silkier, in short, dangerous.

"Give it to me."

"I said. Let go." When he did not respond, Rai repeated. "I said let go so let go."

"Give it." The guy's slack grip tightened ever so slightly.

"Last warning. Let go."

"Give me. The damn. Trophy!"

The high school guy drew back his fist and aimed a punch at Rai. His fist hit nothing but air. All Rai did was tilt his body thirty degrees to the left. The guy gave another punch…And another, and another, and another. Not once did his skin even touch Rai's. Not once did he get hit. Not once did he step away from his spot.

"His reflexes and flexibility are remarkable," the one with thick glasses said.

One of his comrades sneaked up on Rai. He looked at the oncoming attacker from the corner of his eye, having felt, seen, and heard him. The attacker aimed a punch at him at the same time their 'leader' did. Rai smirked. The two punches were from opposite directions. He could hit two birds without a stone. He ducked at the last moment, allowing the two older students to punch each other.

"The little…!"

All four charged and attacked Rai. Well, tried to, anyway. All they kept hitting were air and themselves. Upon seeing that they did not plan on stopping, Rai seceded to switch from the defensive to the offensive. The next unfortunate man that punched had his wrist grabbed and was thrown across the large rectangular garbage bin. A few others followed, leaving the leader.

"Wow," the redhead muttered. "This guy's good!"

A feminine-looking boy with an ever-present smile nodded. "Have any of you noticed that he hasn't moved from his spot since a while ago?"

"Eh? You're right!" one with a weird bowl-shaped hairdo exclaimed. One of the guys hauled himself out of the garbage bin, a broken beer bottle in hand. "Look out!"

They really did not need to say it. Rai was ready even before the assailant charged at him. When he was a few feet from him, Rai gave him a single forty-five degree kick. His body arched and his feet rose an inch or so from the ground, as the bottle flew from his hands. Rai let the kick reverberate for a while, letting him feel the pain, before giving him another. That one made the guy fly back into the garbage bin. The bottle flew in a small arc, landed behind Rai's left foot and smashed into pieces. More than seven shards of glass pierced through his skin and leg warmers. Their leader looked at Rai's injury, grinning like a maniac. But when he saw the latter's unemotional face, void of all emotion, pain included, he freaked out.

But since there were witnesses, he tried to finish his business with one last punch. When the guy was about three meters from him, Rai let the strap of his tennis bag slip down his arm and threw it upward. The battle cry the guy let out was cut short when Rai's foot connected with his gut. The high school student flew forward.

"You're out of luck," Rai whispered in his ear. "My patience is very short today."

With that, Rai hit him with an outstretched palm, his thumb tucked in. The high school guy was sent flying into the bin's interior, with the lid banging close after his entry.

Just in time, Rai caught his bag by stretching his left arm. The strap rested on his shoulder as if he had slung it there.

Rai walked toward the Seigaku regulars, inevitable since that was his route, stopped, looked at every one of them, bowed and left.

Like a while ago, six pairs of eyes trailed on Rai until he turned the bend.

The redhead was first to snap out of it. "His leg."

"Huh?" the others asked. Just then, it started raining.

"Wha…! Let's split!" he said suddenly, already getting drenched. "I don't want to get wet!"

They did and ran in different directions.

* * *

The brown-haired boy was going home when he saw a familiar raven-haired boy sitting in a corner of the road, plucking out glass shards from his leg. The water surrounding him was mixed with his blood. Rai was surprised when he held out a beige handkerchief and tied it around the worst wound.

"Can you go home on your own?" he asked. Rai nodded. "My name's Fuji. Fuji Shuusuke. What's yours?"

"A—" Rai cut himself off. He pulled down his cap and said in a monotonous voice, "Yamato Rai."


	3. Meeting the Regulars and Tezuka Asakura

**_Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Tennis no Oujisama (Syuusuke) (3)_**

**A/N:** _text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

**BTW:** As Hinataluv pointed out, the characters are quite confusing...Yamato Rai is the other freshman regular physical appearance: dark hair, head shorter than seniors, can pass for junior (tall, i know, but there's a reason for it...what? wait) has dark hair and raven eyes

Hayato, is Akari's cousin, who appears to be younger. Physical appearance: dark hair, dark eyes, as tall as akari, which just happens to be around a head shorter than most seniors and can pass for a junior.

Do I still need any clarifications on Akari?

mumble...i just hope i'm not giving away the secret too soon...mumble

* * *

**_Meeting the Regulars_**

Just outside the gates of Seishun Gakuen, a group of students clad in gakuran were gathering and talking amongst themselves.

"Echizen Ryoma and Yamato Rai?" the one with bowl-cut hairdo asked.

"Have you heard of either of them?" one asked the four people around him, rearranging his thick black-rimmed glasses.

"No," a serious-looking one hissed.

"From what Momo tells me, they are no ordinary freshmen," Fuji said.

"Well, if he said so, it must be true," the cat-like redhead said.

"In that case, we should be grateful," said the one with weird hair in a motherly tone. Hearing the bell ring, they started walking toward the school.

"We'll see," Fuji said with his ever-present smile, his eyes closed.

* * *

"Moring practice," Kachiro said. "This is pretty tough. I wonder if I will last the day."

"I thought it was strange, that Momoshiro-senpai. He had hurt his foot so he wasn't even playing with half his strength," Horio said.

"He was injured?" Katsuo repeated.

"I couldn't tell at all!" Kachiro said. "Sugoi…"

"Like I said before, the other Regulars had a match, so they weren't here," Horio explained, looking around. He looked at the two controversial freshmen. "Echizen, Yamato, are you listening?"

"Not at all," Ryoma answered. He and Yamato had apparently not been listening and were doing some stretching.

"No matter," Horio continued. "This just shows that a freshman can't be as good as a Regular. Seigaku's level is just too high."

Yamato stopped and looked directly at him. The expression, even if it was half hidden by his stoic eyes, caused Horio to squeak. Ryoma saw this, stood up, and began walking, pulling Yamato by his sleeve as he passed by. The three other freshmen continued talking after they had gone.

"The monthly ranking tournaments…That's how they choose the Regulars, right?" Yamato asked Ryoma as they warmed up. The latter looked at him, his head tilted. He then brushed off whatever it was that he was thinking and nodded.

"Are you two the super freshmen?" a guy with long black hair asked. Like the two Juniors from before, he wore blue jersey jacket and pants.

"Super freshmen? No, they are those two over there," Ryom said, pointing to the three who were still talking.

"That guy?" the junior asked as he looked over at Horio as he talked to the freshmen around him about nonsense. Before walking away from them he said, "I see. He stands out with that colorful outfit."

"They're already one of the Top Four in the Kantou Region. Seigaku Regulars are awesome!" Horio bragged further. Katsuo and Kachiro were just listening in amazement.

Just then, another senpai yelled out, "Freshmen! Why are you guys standing there?"

"Let them be," another said.

"I want to play against the captain in the ranking matches. Maybe I can even take a point," Horio rambled on.

"H-Hey…" Katsuo muttered. Horio stopped grinning and looked up to see the senpai that had last talked to the two lone freshmen.

"Don't get all arrogant," he said. "Stop this ranking match nonsense. If you think a freshman can play in it, you're a fool! You freshman are ball fetching and doing stamina training 'til summer. Regulars will be determined from the Juniors and Seniors."

"Eh? No way!" Horio whined.

"Why are you wasting time on freshmen?" someone asked. Everyone looked to see Arai.

"Ah…This is one of the super freshmen," the senpai said.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Arai asked.

"Eh?"

"The one that played Momoshiro the other day isn't him," Arai said. The three freshmen were looking back and forth from the two Juniors. "There, those guys with the caps."

"Ah, that bastard, making fun of me like that…Damn it!" he cursed. Horio sighed in the background. Yamato smirked as he and Ryoma looked at the junior yelling at Horio.

* * *

"I heard that the captain, Tezuka, went undefeated last year. Isn't that awesome?" Horio said as they changed in the locker room later at the end of morning practice.

Ryoma saw Yamato stiffen. The latter continued walking from the bathroom as he folded his tennis clothes. "It's not something _you_ should be bragging about."

"But isn't it bad being hated by the Juniors?" Horio asked. Ryoma continued ignoring him as Yamato fixed his things. "Arai-san looks pretty strict about high-low grade relationships. They must hate both of you."

"Ah!" Horio yelled, pointing to the blue jacket Ryoma was sitting on. "Why did you have to sit on Arai-san's jersey?"

"Ah, oh well," Ryoma sighed, standing up.

"What?" Horio yelled. "It's not just an _'oh well'_! Treating a senpai's property like that…"

"Damn, I just stepped on someone's racquet," he cursed, having stepped on an old wooden racquet.

"That's a really old racquet," Kachiro said as he looked at the racquet in Horio's hands.

"And it's dusty too," Horio said, placing it back on one of the cubby holes on the highest shelf where another racquet lay. It too was old and made entirely of wood.

"If we don't hurry, we'll all be late for class." Horio ran out of the locker room, not looking where he was going.

"What are you doing, Monkey?" Arai yelled as Horio ran into him, slightly knocking him back.

"Let's go," Ryoma quietly said to Yamato before walking past the three older boys. Without even looking up, he said, "Cheers."

"Gomen na," Yamato muttered to the three, quickly gaining on Ryoma. He did as the other controversial freshmen did, and in the same manner. "Cheers."

"Hey, what's this?" Arai asked, annoyed. "Was that greeting supposed to be for me?"

Ryoma and Yamato walked faster. The three other freshmen soon cam running after them, screaming.

* * *

"How is it, Tezuka?" Ryuzaki asked the brown-haired senior who was seated on a desk. In front of him lay five different sheets of paper, divided into score sheets. On each paper, only few names were written. "Found a way to evenly divide it into five blocks yet? This ranking tournament will determine the members that will represent us at the district tournament. Must be tough."

"Yeah," Tezuka muttered as he tapped his pen against his desk several times.

"I hear Ryuzaki-sensei has two people in mind," the one with bowl-shaped hairdo said. He stood behind Tezuka's classroom, watching. The most elevated part of the descending room was basked in the sun's setting rays. "Like the two freshmen."

"It doesn't matter what I think, Oishi" Ryuzaki said. "Basically, a freshman can't play in a ranking tournament until summer."

"But it depends on the captain, right?" Oishi asked. Ryuzaki smirked and nodded, knowing what he was at.

* * *

"Why are practices here too tough?" Horio whined as most of the freshmen members lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Mada mada dane," Ryoma said, adjusting his cap.

"Don't stop, you freshmen," one of their senpai's yelled. "Do fifty sit ups next."

Almost everyone moaned.

"Yamato, Echizen, you're both hardly sweating," Katsuo observed.

"Don't you hate this?" Horio continued whining as he assisted Rai in doing his sit-ups. "Fifty sit-ups? This is just harsh."

"Hn." Rai sat up for the last time.

"Fifty," Horio said, releasing Rai's legs. They switched places and Horio started doing the exercise. Beside them, Ryoma was doing the same to another freshman.

"Ah! Yamato, Echizen!" Horio pointed to someone behind them. "They're here!"

"Hey, you two, don't go and show off because you can play a little tennis," Arai said, looking over at the bench where their tennis bags lay. "The Regulars return today."

"They're here," Horio said eagerly, looking at the entrance. Five people entered the courts behind Arai, all of whom were wearing the same blue-and-white Seigaku jersey and dark blue pants, except for one guy in front who wore white knee-length shorts.

"Cheers," the entire club yelled, bowing to the regular players in respect as they lay their bags down.

"We want the newcomers to fell right at home, so pick a court and start hitting," Oishi, with his hair cropped short and two bangs reaching over his eyes, said.

"Ah! That must be him," Horio exclaimed, pointing to the regular member. "That must be Tezuka, the regular member who went undefeated last year."

"That's not…_Tezuka-buchou_," Yamato told him, apparently disliking the last word. "That's Oishi Syuichiroh. Third Year, Class Two."

Horio looked at him. "Huh?"

"Oishi, let's go," one of them called. Sure enough, the one that responded was the one with the bowl-shaped hair.

Yamato looked at the practicing regulars. Oishi was lobbing the ball and the others smashed it back to the basket, tipping it over a bit and sending some balls flying out. "You've seen this type of drill before, by the looks of it."

Ryoma looked at him and nodded. "How'd you guess?" Yamato shrugged.

Ryoma picked some balls and put them in his pocket. "I'm pretty sure my prospective teacher would want to meet you. I just haven't seen her around. Game?" Yamato nodded and started picking up some balls as Ryoma was doing.

"Ah! Too far!"

Yamato looked up and so did Ryoma. Two balls had been lobbed in their direction and were going down. The two freshmen lifted their racquets and smashed it right into the basket, tipping it over as the Regulars had done. Everyone looked amazed. The redhead, the bandana-wearing one, Fuji and the one with thick glasses looked at the two. As did Arai when he looked at Ryoma, added to the fact that he was speechless.

"It's unexpectedly simple," Ryoma said, putting his racquet over his shoulder.

"Damn you and your arrogance!" Arai said angrily, picking up Ryoma by his collar. "Don't get on you high horse so fast. There's no room for you annoying freshmen!"

"What are you arguing about on the court?"

Yamato looked and immediately stiffened when they saw the person at the entrance to the courts. He was tall, wearing a Seigaku regular jersey and pants, thin-rimmed glasses, and a mop of messy light brown hair on his head.

"Captain," the regulars muttered.

"Cheers!" Everyone bowed their heads to him in respect.

"Penalty for causing a disturbance," he said. "Run ten laps around the court, the three of you."

"Wait…Captain…I-it was th-them," Arai stuttered as he quickly dropped Ryoma back on the ground.

"Twenty laps."

Yamato pulled his cap, covering his hate-filled eyes, and began running. Ryoma did the same afterwards, minus the expression.

"Everyone, warm up," the buchou called. "When they're done, Seniors and Juniors will enter the court. Freshmen, prepare for ball fetching."

"Hai!"

"So cool," Horio muttered.

"Tezuka." He looked at Oishi, then walked away.

* * *

"Damn! Those capped brats better remember this!" Arai said through gritted teeth.

"Too bad."

Arai glared at his companion. He then saw Ryoma's tennis bag on a bench behind. Arai smirked and laughed. "Oi, lend me your ears for a second."

* * *

"Okay, twenty more times," someone called out.

All the freshmen were lined up, swinging their racquets simultaneously. Horio was grunting with every single swing while sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Ryoma-kun, Rai-kun, are you done with your laps already?" Kachiro asked between swings.

They shrugged and looked around for their bags.

"The freshmen have to do a hundred swings, hurry up and join us," Horio said. "What happened? Did you two lose your racquets?"

"No," Ryoma said as he looked for his.

"You're both pretty confident to come without your racquets." They looked and there was the ever-too-fond-of-them junior.

"You're saying that you guys don't need basic training," the one beside him said.

"But they are the _heralded newcomers_," Arai said, sarcasm dripping from his words. They all laughed together as Arai continued to taunt them. "Not slacking off, are you? If you're both so confident, then face me again, now. But if you both don't have a racquet, here, take these."

Arai threw two old wooden racquets to the freshmen. They were the same ones from the locker room. The strings were loose and the frames were in shambles.

"What's wrong? You won't face me again? The heralded newcomer?" he further taunted as people started to gather near them.

"Huh? Oi…" The redhead had noticed the disturbance. The one with the glasses looked over. The redhead motioned to the direction of Arai, Ryoma, and Rai with his head. "Arai is causing trouble with the freshmen again."

"What should we do? Stop them?" the glassed guy said.

"They'll get scolded again once the captain comes back," the redhead shrugged. The regulars watched as they practiced.

"Those racquets fit you perfectly, freshmen. Learn from this and never show off again! If that happens, your three precious racquets might just show up. The same goes for your four." Arai and his friends laughed.

The other freshmen were shocked. Ryoma and Rai realized something. They walked onto the court.

A hand came upon Rai's shoulders, preventing him from moving any farther. "Hey, Arai, can I borrow this one for a moment? He owes me a match."

Rai looked at Momoshiro. "I'm going to play this arrogant bastard who passes himself off as a senpai."

Even Ryoma was thrilled to some point. Momoshiro was persistent though, so in the end, he was able to drag the more stoic one away from that court and into another one.

Rai went past Ryoma, but not before muttering, "I'll pay you back next time. For now, kick this annoying pest's ego for me."

Ryoma was amused at the statement, it being too colorful and coming from what appeared to be a too-well-mannered person. Obliging to the other one's request, Ryoma continued his way.

"O-Oi Echizen, where—" Horio started but was cut off.

"There are some who play tricks because they're weak," Ryoma said. Horio was a little taken aback by that.

"What? Are you saying I hid it?" Arai asked.

"Who knows?" Ryoma said and turned back again. "Okay, let's play."

Arai was a slightly shocked by the freshman's courage.

"Saa, I want to see more of this," Fuji mused, a sadistic smile on his face.

"I knew you were going to say that," Eiji said.

Arai and Ryoma were staring at each other from across the net.

"You're confident. I will completely crush you," Arai smirked.

Horio, Katsuo, and Kachiro were watching with faces as if it was a horror film they were watching and not a tennis match.

A twenty-something woman beside a forty-thirty something man took pictures with her camera. "It's impossible with that racquet."

Sakuno and Tomoka were walking past the courts when the former spotted Ryoma. She stopped which made the latter run into her. They rushed to where the two adults were, watching in horror.

"Here I go!" Arai served the ball. Ryoma tried returning it, but the strings were much too loose and so it hit the net.

"Just as I thought. It's impossible with that racquet," Horio said.

"Ora ora, what's going on? You're the one with the big mouth. Now you're going to suffer 'til the end," Arai gloated, serving another ball.

Ryoma returned it, but this time it was out, hitting the fence and bouncing off. Arai looked back and watched if fall.

"It's no good, no control at all. And what's with that sound?" From where he was playing, Rai wanted to make Horio shut up.

"No use. You can't hit it normally," the one with glasses stated.

"You're right," the redhead agreed.

"Hm…With that gut, you really can't spin the ball," Fuji commented.

'_Take a look. He can sweat and feel anxious, but he'll be making a fool of himself with this many people watching and he'll never be able to boast again!'_ Arai thought smugly.

* * *

"Look! That freshman is keeping up with Momo!"

The ball landed on the said junior's court. He looked at it with mild amusement. "You're okay, after all."

Rai pulled down his cap and signaled for the umpire to announce the score.

"40-15."

Rai lifted his bangs from the underside and let his jet black hair slip through his fingers when he slid them through it.

Momoshiro served the ball and a long rally followed. Rai lobbed the ball, making it fly into a high arc. The freshman saw his senpai flinch when the latter jumped. Rai anticipated Momosiro's Dunk Smash by sidestepping to its direction and returning it with a drop.

Being injured, Momoshiro was not able to return it, thus the ball landed on his court yet again.

There was a murmur amongst the crowd as the umpire announced the score. "Game to Yamato. 3-4, Yamato leading."

Momoshiro watched Rai move around the court. "Let's stop here. The old bat will get mad at me with an injury."

Rai stopped and looked at Ryoma's match with the person he had dubbed as an _'arrogant bastard'_.

"Can I see your leg?" Momoshiro had come to Rai's court and was nearing him. "Your also injured leg?"

'_How did he…'_ Rai looked at him. He gazed down his leg and pulled down his cap.

"How about let's take a seat?" Momoshiro offered.

Rai nodded, but did not take the hand the senpai offered. He took a seat where he could watch Ryoma's game.

"Arai should stop. Echizen is good, but he has his limits. He should be the good senpai and stop," Momoshiro commented. "This match is one-sided as long as he's using that old racquet."

Rai pulled down his cap. "From the looks of it, he's figured something out."

* * *

"Hmm, I see."

"Fool! Trying to be tough, but you have to chance in hell!" Arai said, annoyed that Ryoma seemed to be considering his gut's condition only now, and even more so that he appeared to have found a way around it.

Arai served and the freshman ran to the green sphere. Ryoma twisted his whole body around and hit it back. Arai was shocked.

"He hit it…" Horio was _not_ the only one in shock.

"Ryoma-sama!" his annoying fan girl squealed.

"Oh, he put a spin on it by rotating his body. He's good," Fuji commented, naturally with a smile.

"No way!"

"He returned it with that piece of junk?"

"Maybe it's not that old."

"That's not true. The sound of the impact was strange."

"Eh? But that ball was extremely fast!"

"That was slow," Ryoma said, apparently hearing it.

Arai was shaking and his fists were clenched. "Shut up! It was a fluke! Why you…!"

He served another ball, and as with a while ago, the freshman returned it.

'_How can he hit shots like this with that racquet?'_ Arai thought frantically, missing the return.

"A great calligrapher doesn't need to choose his pens," Rai said from where he was sitting, sharing the same thoughts Fuji did.

"He's coming?" the one with the glasses asked.

The redhead confirmed it. "Yeah."

* * *

Momoshiro blinked. "That guy doesn't seem to stop impressing me." He had the time to tear his gaze from the match and look down at Rai, or, more appropriately, his leg. "You're good," Momoshiro said. Rai nodded his thanks as the Junior took his seat. "What happened to your leg?"

Rai unbuckled his left leg warmer and set it down gently on the ground. Momoshiro was surprised when he saw it. The bandage that was wrapped around Rai's leg was bloodstained in different areas. The pinkish spot on the leg warmer was nowhere near the hue of crimson on his bandages. The freshman looked at his senpai's gawking face before proceeding to change the bloody cloth. He rolled up the bloody one and put it in a Ziploc with the leg warmer.

'_What's he doing that for?? It looks like some sort of evidence in some police movie!'_ Momoshiro thought, quite disturbed by the sight. What made it worse was the fact that Rai was acting perfectly…_normal_, as was normal for him.

* * *

'_Damn, at this rate, I'll be the laughing stock!'_ Arai thought while running to hit Ryoma's return hit. A tennis ball fell out of his pocket.

"That ball is in the way."

Arai looked a bit scared at what the freshman said. Ryoma jumped a bit and smashed the ball right into the one that fell from the junior's pocket. Arai fell to his knees in shock.

"Echizen is controlling it already! Just like when he smashed it into the basket!" Horio said happily.

The adults outside the wire fence were shocked. One of them, the older man, thought, _'That freshman is awesome…'_

"Sugoi, Ryoma-kun!"

The one with the bandana turned away. "What a fool. Loosing face for the Juniors…"

"Oi, Kaidoh," the one with the glasses called when he saw the bandana-adorned head of his teammate walking off.

"Washroom Break," Kaidoh answered.

"OK, my warm up is done." Arai was once again taken aback by Ryoma's statement. Ryoma faced Arai, scaring the wits out of the already frightened junior.

"Ah! Echizen, a string is broken, " Horio said, pointing. Ryoma looked at his racquet.

"Ah, no worries…" He placed the neck of the racquet on his shoulder. "We're going to finish this senpai."

Arai backed off, laughing strangely. One of his comrades saw him, and said, "O-Oi, oi, let's just leave it here."

"It's just practice," said another.

"No." Ryoma served the ball to Arai.

* * *

Rai placed his things in his bag, touching a piece of beige cloth in the process.

"Where're you going?" Momoshiro asked when he saw Rai stand. He received no reply so he just watched as Rai made his way to the Regulars' court, walking perfectly…_normal_.

The other regulars looked in his direction as he approached Fuji. The tensai, noticing this, looked behind, and was greeted by the sight of a raven-haired boy coming near him.

'_He seems…oddly __familiar__…'_ Fuji thought as he looked at him.

Rai held the piece of cloth to Fuji, a clean bloodless handkerchief. He took off his cap and bowed.

"Nya! It's him!" Kikumaru's jaw was open. The Regulars looked at him. "He's the one from two days ago!"

Even Inui's mouth was agape. "I had thought he was just a short senior high school student!"

A small irk mark appeared on Rai's head when he heard this.

* * *

"Tezuka, what do you think?" Oishi asked as they watched the freshmen from the fifth floor of the school building, inside the buchou's room.

"I don't condone breaking the rules," he said. "Make everyone run laps."

"Eh?" Oishi turned to face Tezuka's back. "Even the Regulars?"

"Everyone," he said sternly as he exited the room, leaving Oishi and Ryuzaki.

"Oishi, come look at this," the elderly lady said, pointing to the sheets of paper that were left lying on Tezuka's desk. On the paper labeled Block D, one name was written on the bottom.

Echizen Ryoma

First Year, Section Two

A few papers behind, labeled Block E, another name was written.

Yamato Rai

First Year, Section One

* * *

Oishi came into the courts. "Everyone, run twenty laps! Regulars included. Then gather around for the announcement."

"Hai!" they said and everyone started running.

"I wonder what the announcement is about," Kachiro wondered out loud.

"Let's finish our laps so we can find out," Katsuo suggested and they started to run.

"Alright, everyone, gather!"

The people were assembled, with three people in front. Tezuka, Ryuzaki, and another lady. The lady looked to be in her twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth year, had V-Cut bluish-black hair that reached until her shoulders and parts of her upper back, purple eyes, and was in a pair of pants with a white tennis shirt under her jacket. Now the jacket was the cause of the murmuring in the crowd.

Her jacket was black, with white, red and many other accents on it, forming a complicated design. It had the International Tennis Team's insignia on it at the left side in front. Behind, in blue lettering, read _Tezuka Asakura_. Her backs were not to them though, and it was not really seen by the others. But clearly, this woman was a professional.

Ryoma eyed her with much curiosity. As did Rai, but he was having different thoughts through his head.

"Everyone!" her voice was loud and authoritative. "I am Tezuka Asakura, from the International Tennis Team…"

She was interrupted by the murmur went among the crowds, as the people looked at their captain.

"Silence." Everyone followed. "I am in the team that organizes events such as this and I would like to inform you of some changes for the upcoming Eliminations and the rest of the divisions, should you be able to reach it.

"The order of play shall be the same. Doubles Two, followed by Doubles One. This will be followed by the Singles games. Now this is where the changes that I have been talking about will occur.

"The Singles games, formerly played by three players from each team in Singles Three, Singles Two, and Singles One, respectively, will have another game included in it. As such after Doubles One, a Singles Four will be played.

"So as a precaution, it would be wise to tell you to get players enough for the said games, and the players required for reserve players."

Everyone started talking.

"Quiet down!" Ryuzaki said loudly and sternly. They followed after a while, giving Ryuzaki the chance to speak again. "As you have heard, the ITT has made its decision." **_(A/N: I am sorry for the lame name, but hey, I'm lazy…XD go think of a name and message me…Right now, my three-days-deprived-of-sleep brain can't think properly…)_**

"If that is the case, then there will also adjustments for the upcoming Ranking Tournaments," she continued. "Instead of the usual eight Regulars, there will be another position open, therefore giving us nine, one for Singles Four, the other a reserve player."

Many people actually swooned on this.

"…and as a compromise, the usual four blocks will have an addition of another." Ryuzaki turned to Asakura. "Anything else you want to say before you go?"

She shook her head.

"That's it. Dismissed!"

"Thanks for the training!" everyone shouted and began moving. Actually, they pretended to move, as they were listening to the next few bits of conversation among the three people.

"Ryuzaki-sensei…" the controversial lady said. Both were paying attention to her. "…Please take good care of this year's Regulars."

Ryuzaki smirked. "Shouldn't you be doing that to the girl's division? Tezuka Asakura-Buchou?"

She smirked back. "Meh, that was years ago."

She turned back and began walking. She stopped. "Oh yeah, one more thing. Kunimitsu…?"

"Hai, Asakura-san?" The current captain looked at the hot pretty lady. Someone message me how to do the color changing and the font changing and the strikethrough effect! Please! .

She began walking again. "…Go get a life will you?"

Ryoma looked at her retreating back with a raised brow. Rai was smirking, his stoic mask cracking and showing amusement.


	4. Ranking Selections

**_Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Tennis no Oujisama (Syuusuke)_**

**_Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Tennis no Oujisama (Syuusuke)_**

**A/N:** _text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

* * *

**_Chapter Four: Proving Ourselves: Here Comes the Ranking Selections!_**

"Ryoma-kun, Rai-kun," Kachiro called when he noticed the arrival of the two at the tennis courts. "We will be cheering for you!"

"We're counting on you to both beat the Regular members!" Katsuo added.

The two seemed to take no notice of them, save for a single nod. Both were, once again, walking with their eyes closed. Ryoma had his racquet tucked under his arm, as Rai had his over his shoulder.

"Fssshhh…"

Ryoma's eyes opened and he looked around to see the speaker behind the bushes. He was wearing the Regulars' Jersey, white knee-length shorts, and an orange bandana. "Hey freshmen." Kachiro, Katsuo, and Horio jumped at his deep, scary voice. "Stop slacking off. Now go."

The three boys immediately ran as fast as they could. "Excuse us!" Horio cried as they passed the two still freshmen.

"Hey."

Rai finally opened his eyes, sensing a war of stares amongst his companion and the Regular. "Hai?"

"Aren't you both freshmen?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of Ryoma.

"Yes, we're leaving now," he said, looking away as he walked off. "Meh, creepy…"

Yamato smirked. "That's an understatement."

* * *

"That was close!" Kachiro panted as he and the two other running freshmen slowed down in front of a large bulleting board that had been set up in between the courts.

"Wasn't that Kaidoh-senpai?" Katsuo asked, looking back, hoping that the scary Junior wasn't following them.

"Yeah," Horio said, panting. "Echizen's opponent in Block D of the Ranking Tournament."

"Block D?" Katsuo repeated, turning to look at the bulletin board. He immediately found what he was looking for. "Ah, that's right. His name really is here. And look, Rai-kun's name is in Block E."

"What' is the Ranking Tournament?" Kachiro asked.

"Hey, what the hell are you saying?" Horio asked him, crossing his hands over his chest. He then launched into an explanation of the Ranking Selections.

"So are Ryoma-kun and Rai-kun really going to participate in this tournament?" asked Kachiro, amazed.

"Wow, that's our Ryoma-kun and Rai-kun!" Katsuo said.

"And if you become a Regular member, you get to wear that blue-and-white jersey," Horio said, pointing to Oishi who then had his back to them.

"Wow, you sure do know a lot," Kachiro complimented.

"I have two years of tennis experience," he bragged further as he pointed to himself. "And the name of the jersey is great too! It is the Seigaku Regular Jersey!"

"That was so straightforward," Kachiro said, causing the braggart to fall over.

"Hey, you three," Oishi called. "Shouldn't you be putting up the nets?"

"Hai! Please let us do it," they said in unison before running off to set up the nets.

* * *

Rai and Ryoma watched the long brown-haired girl practice her forehand. What was her name again? Oh right, Ryuzaki Sakuno.

"You bend your knees too much," Rai said as they passed her, not even looking back. "And your wrists are too flimsy. Don't flip them that much."

"You open your shoulders too wide," Ryoma added. "And your hair is too long, you should cut it. It gets in the way, unless you either have really nice hair or have enough skill to prevent it from being a distraction and instead use it as a weapon."

"Were you talking about someone in particular with the last part of your tip to…What was her name? Ryuzaki?" Rai asked the hazel-eyed freshman quietly when they were out of earshot.

Ryoma looked at him weird. "Meh, you're beginning to act like her and her cousin."

_"Her?"_ Rai repeated, smirking.

"Meh, don't get any ideas," Ryoma said quickly. _Too quickly__._

* * *

Rai looked at the papers yet again before walking off to the locker room to change. Going there, he passed Kawamura Takashi—the only regular in his block.

* * *

A fast-paced tennis ball landed on a panting Senior's court.

"The freshmen are ruthless!"

Rai exited the courts, the girls screaming his name annoying him, and made his way to the bulletin board.

"Block E, Yamato Rai," he said to the Regular who was seated near it. He was reading from a green notebook and had thick glasses. "6-0."

Rai's statement of his score caused the Regular to look up before recording Rai's score.

"Block D, Echizen Ryoma, 6-0."

Rai looked at the person beside him and exited the courts.

"Next match…?" Rai inquired Ryoma as they made their way to the locker room.

Already inside were Horio and Katsuo. They all had a bento box and were seated on the floor.

"How did your matches go?" Katsuo asked as the two sat on the floor, creating a circle.

"Where's the other one?" Rai asked, referring to Kachiro, Ryoma and he having answered with, "It went fine."

"We don't know," Katsuo said. "We noticed he wasn't here during Ryoma-kun's first match."

Rai looked up from his pork tonkatsu ten seconds before the door suddenly opened. They all looked up to see Kachiro, a camcorder in his hands and a purplish ring around his eye.

"Kachiro, where did you go?" Katsuo asked.

"And…What happened to your eye?"

The last annoying voice? Oh, that was Horio's.

"I was trying so hard to tape that I got hit by a ball," he said, holding his camcorder up. "But forget that, we have a problem. Look at this. I taped Kaidoh-senpai's match and part of Kawamura-senpai's earlier matches. They're who Ryoma-kun and Rai-kun are going up against next."

Horio and Katsuo went to him eagerly.

"Oh wow," the one that annoyed Rai most said. "But you missed their matches."

"Is that what you were doing Kachiro?" Katsuo asked. (No duh…Meh, sorry…I got kinda hyper…so…Yeah…there'll be…a lot of author's notes for this chapter…waheheh…sorry… :D)

"Anyway, it was incredible," continued the bruised freshman.

"Ah, that's good, maybe I can't win," Ryoma said, earning him a couple of protests from the three other freshmen.

"How can you say that Ryoma-kun?"

"They sure are good, top pro," Ryoma said. He and Rai were bent over a Pro-Tennis Magazine.

_'Buggy-Whip Shot,'_ Rai thought, reading the article.

"That's not right, Ryoma-kun!" Kachiro said. "I taped this because I thought it would help!"

Rai finished his lunch and went out to register, Ryoma beside him.

"Hey! Where are you two going?" Kachiro asked but they were too far gone.

"Let's go watch the video," Horio suggested.

* * *

Rai watched Ryoma's match, one of the many who were outside the wire fence, watching. Just then, Ryoma performed the Snake, leaving the crowd amazed.

"Kaidoh-senpai, that was pretty complicated," Ryoma said, flicking his wrist. "Just recently, by chance, I read an article that described this technique. I just tried to see, but it's a lot harder than it looks."

"Match point, Echizen."

_'He's smart, making a strategy to counter the stamina-consuming effect of running after that shot,'_ Rai mused, but not at all surprised by what Ryoma had done.

Ryoma served, the ball flying over the net. Kaidoh dove for the ball, his bandana flying off in the process, but he still fell to the ground as the ball passed him.

"Game-Set, won by Echizen."

"He did it!"

Rai quickly moved from the three freshmen enough to see almost the whole team of Regulars there, watching Ryoma's game.

The cheering had stopped when Kaidoh used his racquet to hit his own knee, blood staining the frame and his strings. As he picked up his bandanna, Ryoma walked up to the net, his hand out.

_'Is this guy masochistic or did he do that on purpose?'_ Rai thought rather mischievously, knowing the answer to it.

"Handshake," Ryoma said, standing there.

Kaidoh looked at him for a moment before walking out of the court. Rai could tell he was normal again for he was smirking when he said, "Sorry for that."

* * *

"I knew you would win against your opponents," Horio said as they took down the nets.

"Horio-kun, you say two different things with that mouth," Kachiro said.

Horio, Katsuo and Kachiro stood on the courts together, talking about the day's matches while Ryoma walked around the court, lazily pulling a broom behind him. Rai, at least, was doing his with the broom in front and his hand slightly stretched. Keyword slightly.

The three had been bombarding the two with questions, some really random and annoying in Rai's opinion. But hey, that only worked for the loudmouthed know-it-all.

"I lose all the time," Ryoma said, walking away from them. Rai followed suit soon after.

* * *

"Ah! There he is! Rai-kun!"

Rai looked to see the three freshmen headed in his and Ryoma's direction.

"Ganbatte Rai-kun!" one of them said.

He nodded and continued walking. They still weren't out of earshot when the three started conversing.

"What do you think will happen to Rai-kun's match?" Without looking, Rai knew that the voice belonged to the one with the camcorder…Kachiro was it?

"He'll surely have a hard time. That's a Senior _and_ Regular he's going up against." Rai almost rolled his eyes when he heard the statement of the annoying braggart.

"You're such a turncoat, Horio-kun." That was Kachiro.

Katsuo made agreeing noises. "He did keep up with Momo-chan-senpai."

"Yeah, but Momo-chan-senpai was injured. Even then, he probably gave Yamato a chance."

"Chance?" Ryoma repeated to Rai quietly what the know-it-all said as they walked in the distance.

Rai pulled down his cap. "One of these days I'm going to duct tape that guy's mouth. And it's not just for the insult."

"Meh, winning your match should be enough to shut him up," Ryoma said with a hint of reassurance.

Rai smirked. "Watch will you?"

* * *

Like Ryoma's the Regulars were also watching Rai's match. They added to the massive crowd that were surrounding Court E.

"Good luck to us," Kawamura said timidly, holding out his hand. Rai shook it and went behind the service line.

Kawamura's timidity evaporated all of a sudden when he held his golden racquet. He started speaking in English. _"_**All right you kid, let's get this match started! ****IT'S BURNING!!"**

_'Bipolar?'_ Rai blinked. He almost sweat dropped. Almost.

"One set Match. Yamato Versus Kawamura. Kawamura to serve."

**"****Get a taste of my b****BURNING SERVE!!****"** Kawamura hollered, serving.

"Yamato must be getting scared of Taka-san right about now," Kikumaru said grinning. And I thought it was only Fuji who was sadistic.

"Saa…I don't know about that. His face seems to be too calm to be scared," Fuji said sensibly. "But then again, that's the same expression he's worn in over a week."

Kikumaru looked at him as if he was mental. "You call that an expression?"

"Game to Kawamura. 1-0."

"Kawamura-senpai didn't even return anything. Yamato must have been too scared to move," Momoshiro guessed.

"Nya! Momo, he's looking at you!"

"Saa…He must have heard you," Fuji smiled. Now that was sadistic, considering the look Rai was giving the Junior.

* * *

"Game to Kawamura. 5-0. Change court."

"Taka-san is winning without effort," Oishi observed. "Might we have overestimated Yamato?"

From where he was looking, Ryoma's eyes narrowed. Rai bounced the ball a few times, holding the racquet in his right hand. He then crossed his right leg over his left and threw the ball.

_'Right-handed serve…Is it…?'_ Ryoma was watching closely. His assumptions were confirmed when he saw Rai lean to the right. His mouth fell open just a bit.

The rest looked at him. Then something clicked in Kachiro's mind. "Twist Serve!" he shouted before Rai jumped and hit the ball.

The ball was but a green blur as it sped toward an astonished Kawamura. It hit the ground and bounced upward to the right, instead of the usual left, centimeters from his face. The no-touch ace serves that followed were too fast to react to, after one had just received a psychological attack.

"Game to Yamato. 1-5."

Everyone was stunned. Even the Tensai's azure eyes were open. From there, the tables began to turn. Rai scored point after point after point.

"Game to Yamato. 5-6. Yamato leading."

Rai brought up his racquet over his shoulder and tapped it with the black thing. "Mada mada dane."

"I can't believe it…"

"The freshman actually got _six games_!!"

Ryoma smirked as he pulled down his cap. Rai served the ball and after a long rally, scored a point. Another serve, another rally. He sidestepped to his left and jumped to catch a ball. He flinched ever so slightly, but continued to swing at the ball. Using his right hand as leverage, he pushed himself up, spinning in midair, to return Kawamura's shot. Right after he hit it, Rai rolled himself into a ball, spun and landed gracefully upright.

"30-0."

"Wow…"

Rai bent to fix the bandages on his left leg that had become undone. Like the previous week, subsequent to his match with Momoshiro, Rai was not wearing leg warmers, only bandages on both legs, bandages that reached until waaaay past where his shorts ended below his knees. And now, those bandages were getting bright pink stains that were turning crimson fast.

"His wounds opened up again!" Some were alarmed, some amused, and others both but none really wanted Rai to forfeit the match. After all, it was not at all normal for freshmen to participate in Ranking Selections.

Rai looked down on his leg. _'They're going to grill me if I don't change these things now…'_

A faster slice shot got another point. Unfortunately, for Rai, Kawamura was able to return the last one. A long rally followed, and each minute, Rai's bandages were getting a deeper hue of red. Rai returned the ball to Kawamura. Kawamura returned it with a…

i _'Forehand crosscourt shot, to my left, eight o' clock. Eighty-two percent probability…'_/i Rai did quick calculations. i _'Injured, I won't be able to catch that ball running. Too fast. So…'_/i

On one of Rai's steps, he jumped using his left foot, and turned. He arched his back to form a concave, his face to the sky, closed his eyes and waited for the ball to come speeding to him. The ball passed him fast. Rai extended his leg and as soon as it touched the ground, he backflipped thrice, flew over the ball and landed on his right hand. He brought his feet down and stood upright.

He took three steps back from the oncoming ball, sidestepping to the right. He stepped forward on his left foot and did a half-spin by twisting his foot in a clockwise semi-circle. Rai hit the ball with a strong backhand and let it slide to the left side of the tilted racquet head. He then twisted his wrist at the last moment, his racquet perpendicular to the ground, and swung it in a rising motion.

The ball went past Kawamura and literally flew over the baseline parallel to Rai, behind Kawamura. Everyone looked at the ball. It was way outside the court but it hadn't bounced yet. Before it got to the end, it changed its direction, curving to the left and took the path of the borderline. When it reached the intersection of the service line, it changed its path again, this time taking a diagonal path going to the net. By then, the ball was relatively low so that when it reached the middle of the attack area, the ball finally touched the ground. But instead of bouncing, it continued rolling, still following its earlier path, curving suddenly and rolling to the net.

Everyone's mouth was agape. From the point that the ball touched the ground until where it was, there was a burnt and smoking mark. Some realized it, some did not, but the path that the ball took formed a perfect _"S"_.

**"_S Drive…_"**

Rai looked at Horio. _'S Drive?'_ He looked at his racquet. _'Passable…'_

Rai looked at the umpire, came near him and tapped the umpire's seat with his racquet.

The student umpire snapped out of his daze. "Game and Match to Yamato. 7-5."

Rai held out his hand to Kawamura. They shook hands and Rai got out of the tennis court, his bandages already soaking wet with his own blood. To go to the locker room, Rai had to pass the Regulars and the six freshmen (Ryoma, Horio, Katsuo, Kachiro, Sakuno, Tomoko), not to mention the photographer and the article writer. He was already between the Regulars and the freshmen when his knees buckled. He had to hold on to the wire fence to keep himself from falling.

"Yamato!"

"Yamato!"

"Rai-kun!"

"Yamato-kun!"

"Yamato-san!"

"Rai-sama!"

"Rai-san!"

Rai was, by then, annoyed at the people, fan girls i_and_/i boys alike (who knew there were homo people in a private school in Japan?) were screaming his name in many variations. Ticked, he did not grab any of the hands that offered him assistance. He, instead, went there alone.

* * *

"That was a nice game you showed earlier," Momoshiro said much later at lunch. Rai had not even looked up from his bento box.

He and the five freshmen were eating lunch…near each other. Not really together because two particular freshmen did not really enjoy the company of some people, Rai especially.

"I gotta admit Yamato, that was impressive! Who knew you did acrobatic play like Kikumaru-senpai did?" Horio, ever the turncoat, added. "Of course I had complete confidence in you."

"Liar."

Rai and Ryoma shared a glance, remembering what they had overheard, and smirked.

"But the most impressive part of it…" Rai looked at the Junior. "…Was playing with someone like Kawamura-senpai with that wounded leg of yours. It's no easy task."

Rai closed his bento and stood up, deliberately passing in front of Momo. He wrote something with his foot on the ground before going to his next matches.

Arigatou, Momo-chan-senpai…By the way, you still owe me a proper game.

* * *

A Junior fell to the ground panting. "That…That freshman is merciless!"

Rai made his way to the bulletin board and announced his score. He then hurried over to Court D, pushing through the crowd to get a clear view beside the Regulars.

"How did your match go?" Rai looked up and saw Fuji smiling at him.

"I won," he said simply and watched. "How's it going?"

"See for yourself."

"Yay! Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka and the older picture-taking lady…Had Rai seen her name before? Shiba? Shiba what? Ah well…said simultaneously. They turned to look at each other, growling, before they started to cheer for Ryoma again. Tomoka had also made a small sign which she waved proudly around.

**_"Split Step," _**Rai smirked, recognizing it. "What is the score Fuji-senpai?"

"Saa…It's match point for Echizen," he answered as Ryoma performed the Twist Serve once again. Inui returned it easily, hitting a high lob.

"Mada mada dane." Ryoma hit an overhead smash, making the ball bounce behind Inui, and ending the point.

"Game-Set won by Echizen. 6-4."

Ryoma looked down at his racquet and started to mess with the strings.

"Yay Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka yelled as she bounced up and down, singing as she cheered from the sidelines. "You're so cool!"

"He really did it…" Kachiro said.

"…He won…" Katsuo finished.

"I was a little pissed off at the beginning, but it was still fun," Ryom said as he and Inui shook hands.

"I gathered some good data," Inui said, smiling as he walked off the court.

"Right-handed Twist Serve and you should use a high step," he bounced on his foot before completely exiting the courts.

"I don't want to play against you anymore," Ryoma said as he pulled down his cap a bit.

Rai smirked. _'Acting so childish…Meh, it's almost cute…'_

"Ryoma-kun, that was awesome," Kachiro cheered as Ryoma exited the courts.

"This means you and Rai-kun are Regular members for sure," Katsuo piped up.

* * *

"Too bad, Inui," Oishi said as soon as the creepy data man exited the courts.

"Really, that guy's tennis skills exceeded my data," he said as he looked at Kaidoh as he scared the freshmen again. "This school will become stronger."

"Yeah," Oishi agreed, smiling.

* * *

"With this, the nine Regular positions have been chosen," Innoue told the lady next to him as she snapped pictures nonstop.

_ "Tezuka Kunimitsu, Captain, Third Year."_

The lady snapped Tezuka returning a shot.

_"Oishi Syuichiroh, Vice Captain, Third Year."_

She had the same pose for Oishi, at a different angle.

_"Fuji Shuusuke, Third Year."_

Fuji smiled naturally at the camera…Picture perfect…

_"Kikumaru Eiji, Third Year."_

Kikumaru was grinning his ass off, doing acrobatics.

_"Kawamura Takashi, Third Year."_

Kawamura stood there shyly, until someone, Fuji I think, handed him his racquet and his bipolar side was activated. He got a snapshot with fire burning in his eyes and behind him.

_"Momoshiro Takeshi, Second Year."_

"_Kaidoh Kaoru, Second Year."_

The two were arguing but Rai passed in the middle, breaking their electricity-generating glare wars, separating them for separate snapshots.

_"And the only two, and first, freshmen in the team…Echizen Ryoma and Yamato Rai."_

The last two had been standing together and Shiba intended to taka a snapshot with the two of them together. Problem was, when the two saw her, they took off in opposite directions.

Shiba only caught two arms waving at the camera.


	5. Inui Juice and Other Sadists

**A/N:** _text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

* * *

**Neverending Promise: Fuji Tennis no Oujisama Shuusuke**

**Neverending Promise: Fuji Tennis no Oujisama Shuusuke**

Chapter Five: The First Encounter…With Inui's Vegetable Juice…Eek _and_ Ick!

* * *

"Yamato, Echizen."

The two freshmen looked up and saw Oishi approaching them after morning practice. Rai had just finished changing in the bathroom and Ryoma was buttoning his uniform up.

"Please write down your sizes," he said, handing each a sheet of paper.

"Size?" Ryoma repeated, looking at the small piece of paper.

"Ah, the Regular Jacket orders," Katsuo said as the three freshmen scrambled over to the two, taking a look at the paper.

"Right, your names will be stitched on it so it has to be specially ordered," Horio said, clinging to Ryoma's shoulder.

"Wow, that's so cool," Kachiro sighed, looking at Rai's paper.

"Did you see how that annoying Know-It-All clung to you?" Rai whispered to Ryoma just before they parted for class. There was a hind of mischievousness in his voice that Ryoma did not like.

* * *

"How would you solve the equation on the board? Does anyone know the formula for this?"

The room of course did not even shuffle. Many were cowering behind their classmates' backs, wondering in misery why only the pilot sections had ascending classrooms.

The teacher looked at Akari, the newest girl (Was she a girl? She was in a gakuran) in his class. "Masato, would you like to try?"

The lavender-eyed girl looked up and went to the board. "The sum of the square of the legs equals the square of the hypotenuse in a right triangle. Therefore…" The whole class was wide-eyed as the new girl did not just give the formula but proceeded to answer the three problems on the board. "…In Problem No. 1, x109…For Problem No.2, y-11….For Problem No. 3, z-57."

Oishi looked at his classmate walking calmly back to her seat, her face still not changing its expression since she first entered the room. The bell rang, granting the students the freedom for lunch. As the students have started doing since her arrival, people crowded around her desk.

"Masato-san, please teach me this formula! I can't get it!"

"Um…Anou…Akari-kun, please help me with my English homework. I can't understand a single word!"

The crowd almost jumped back when they saw Akari look at them, her stoic eyes creating a freaky effect with her features. She began another teaching session, though she did not show any emotion. Oishi held his notebook, and approached her when the crowd dispersed with their expressions of gratitude, partially embarrassed by what he was about to do. Still, his other classmates have done it many times already, why couldn't he?

"Anou…Masato-san…" She looked up and tilted her head slightly, recognizable as an inquiring form. "…Could you help me with my History Report?" Oishi fumbled with his uniform and looked up. Seeing the blank face of Akari, he added quickly, "Don't do it if you don't want to though. You should eat."

He began walking away from her, his notebook in hand, slightly disappointed. _'What was I to expect? I haven't even seen her eat her recess yet due to the number of students that either ask her out or ask help with their homework…'_

A slight shiver ran down Oishi's spine as he remembered the blank look Akari had given those who had done the former, whether it was a boy or a girl, though she only gave the nicer unassuming ones a slight shake of the head. The rest had been too scared by the blank look, recognizing the murderous glare that was hidden in it…Nobody really knew if she was a boyish girl or a girlish boy. She uses _'ore'_ in most of her sentences but uses _'watashi' _in some. Also, her gakuran was too loose fitting to see if she had the curves of a lady. But still, in the Fukubuchou's opinion, she looked pretty _hot_.

'_Did I just think that?'_ Oishi asked himself, surprised that such thoughts came into his mind.

"Matte."

Oishi stopped and looked at his terse classmate. He saw her right hand stretched out, as she continued sketching with her left, her eyes never leaving her paper. "Details." Oishi blinked, uncomprehending. Akari looked at him and said frankly, "Don't expect me to do that alone. I'll help but you'll be the one to do it." An unexpected smile came to Oishi's face. She had been doing the same to others, teaching them without answering the questions directly, allowing the students' minds to work and therefore learn.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!"

* * *

"Ryoma-kun, congratulations on becoming a Regular member," Sakuno quietly recited to herself as she walked through the courts. She looked in his classroom, looking around. She was disappointed that he wasn't there but started looking in other places.

"Echizen?" Inui asked. He was inside the locker rooms, a blender beside him containing gooey green substance that Sakuno shuddered even looking at.

"Yes," Sakuno said, trying not to stare at the horrible concoction. "Since he became a Regular, I thought that even during lunch, he would be at practice."

"He didn't come here. If he did, he should be at the courts," Inui said, looking back at his blender again.

"Arigatou."

* * *

"Echizen?" Momoshiro asked.

"No, we haven't seen him," Oishi said, stuffing his report in his bag neatly. Thanks to Akari's help, he had finished way earlier than expected. Too bad she walked out of the room before he could thank her again.

"Is that so?" Sakuno mumbled, disappointed.

"What, what? Are you finally confessing your love to him?" Momoshiro asked, a cheesy grin on his face as he bent down to the girl's face level.

"That's not it!" Sakuno had almost yelled in her frantic answer.

"Hmm…they're so young. Being young is so great!" Momoshiro said, closing his eyes, trying to look wise, as he straightened himself.

"There is only a year's difference between you guys," Oishi pointed out, hitting the Junior's head gently with his racquet, causing the latter to grin again.

"Ah, you senpai's are so serious, even coming here during lunch," Sakuno said, trying to keep them preoccupied, anything to avoid the topic the Junior brought up.

"That's not true," Momoshiro answered. "It's to pass time."

"Our club members have a lot of free time," Oishi explained. "Alright, let's begin Momo."

"The Regulars are just too amazing," Sakuno sighed as she walked through Seigaku's campus.

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

A ball almost hit her head, but Sakuno had been the one to apologize. Kaidoh looked at her strangely before continuing to hit the ball back to wall. Nearly in tears, she mumbled, "Ryoma-kun, where are you practicing?"

Above everyone else, the two freshmen slept peacefully on their tennis bags, the rooftop offering the peace and quiet they just needed.

* * *

"Thank you for returning it early, Echizen," Oishi said as the freshman handed him two slips of papers, his and Rai's. But Ryoma was not listening. He instead was looking at the girl that was getting out of the classroom. At least she seemed like a girl, but she was in a gakuran.

The said girl walked out of the room, spotted Ryoma and gave a small smirk. "Sumimasen, you guys are in the way."

Oishi was startled by her sudden appearance. "Ah, gomen Masato."

As he was being ushered by the Fukubuchou to the side, Ryoma looked at the girl's butt length lavender hair as it swayed back and forth, creating an illusion on her gakuran. He smirked back at the girl. "Coming to my tennis practice?"

"Huh?" Oishi looked at him strangely before he realized that the statement was not directed at him. He looked at the girl.

The girl shrugged, answering without looking back. "I have a lot of things to do. I'll try though. You still do have to ask your club moderator before I can enter. It…might be distracting for the others."

Oishi looked at them in surprise. "You know each other?"

Ryoma smirked. "That's putting it lightly."

Oishi wondered what connection the freshman might have to his new laconic, stoic, and sociopath classmate.

* * *

"Seigaku…!!"

"Fight, fight, fight!"

"Freshmen, your voices are too low," Oishi said to the practicing freshmen.

"Hai!"

"It seems like the senpai's have become more motivated," Kachiro observed as he and Katsuo collected balls that were lying around.

"Of course," Horio said as he stood above them. "It'll soon be time for the Regional Competition."

"What are you doing? Don't take your eyes off of the ball," Ryuzaki yelled as she served towards two juniors. They missed. "One more time!"

"Alright everyone, gather up," Tezuka hollered above the ruckus.

"I shouldn't have to say this but the Regionals are right around the corner," Ryuzaki said as she stood in front of the club with Tezuka and Oishi. "The nine chosen Regulars from the ranking tournament will have to train hard in preparation for the tournament."

She scanned the first row where the Regulars stood. "The levels of tennis at all of the other schools have increased. Therefore, don't take it lightly. Adjourned!"

"Well then, practice will continue," Tezuka announced. "Juniors and Seniors in Court C. Regulars will take Courts A and B."

"Finally!" Kikumaru said, happy as always, as everyone ran off to different courts.

"Wait a minute," Ryuzaki said. "For the Regular members, I have asked this man to prepare a special training menu."

"Inui!" the team gasped when he walked into the court.

"Yo." Inui was wearing long green pants and a white shirt, carrying a large box. He dropped it and dusted off his hands. "We must first train our footwork." He handed out blue bands to be fastened around the ankles. Holding one up, he said, "Power ankle, adding two 250 gram training weights, including socks, will weigh 1 kilogram."

"That's not a lot of weight," Momoshiro said as he lifted his foot up. Both freshmen Regulars had stood up, bouncing on each foot to test the weights.

"Also, many blue, yellow and red cones have been placed on one side of the court. I will be on this court serving the same color of balls as the cones. You will need to say the color of the ball and hit it to its color. If you miss, then it's over," Inui explained. "First up, Eiji and Echizen."

"Aoi…Shoshite-chiro…" Kikumaru said, hitting the balls to their proper cones with ease.

"Knowing Eiji, this should be easy for him," Fuji smiled. **_(When did he not? Meh, sorry, really hyper…Too much pizza, ice cream, movies, etc. :'p)_**

"Aka."

"Isn't that blue?" Inui asked.

"Oh? Really?" Kikumaru looked at Inui and messed up his control, but managing to hit the ball to the blue cone at the last moment. The ball rolled, exposing its two red lines. The catlike redhead faced Inui with an annoyed face, his fist up. "What's this? It was red after all! Inui, that's not fair!"

"If you loose your stamina, your judgment will also be impaired. By the way, I forgot to tell you. If you miss…" Inui rearranged his glasses, making it glint in a creepy fashion. "…you will have to drink my Special Inui Juice."

"What's in that?" Kikumaru asked, staring fearfully into the cup of green fluid.

"Food, don't worry about it. The taste has been thoroughly adjusted," Inui said as he handed a cup to the redhead as it smiled nervously. Rai saw the large smile on Inui's face and winced. Everyone became quiet as they watched Kikumaru drink the toxic-looking green liquid. He quickly handed the cup back to Inui and made a dash for the fountain, only to faint a few feet from the staring Regulars.

'_What the hell was in that thing?!'_

* * *

Ryoma managed to keep the balls going. "Aoi…Shoshite-chiro…Aoi…Aka…"

Rai smirked when he saw a certain tint of red on his cheeks when he said the last word. Ryoma glanced at his foot with wide eyes. The weights had begun to affect him and he missed the ball. Immediately, a cup of the green fluid presented itself in front of him.

'_Poor thing…I would've pitied him except…'_ Rai watched Ryoma run for the fountain. _'It's fun to see him that way…'_ Looks like another sadist.

"Next up! Fuji and Yamato!"

Rai spun his racquet through his fingers a few times, taking his place in the courts. _'I will absolutely NOT take even a sip of that thing.'_

Ryuzaki lobbed the ball to the waiting freshman when Inui did the same to Fuji.

"Aka…Aoi…Aoi…Shoshite-chiro…" Rai effortlessly hit the balls to their proper cones. "Aoi…"

"Isn't that red?" Ryuzaki asked.

'_Not gonna work, sensei,'_ Rai thought smugly as he hit the ball to the blue cone.

"Cheater! You did that on purpose!"

Rai looked at the court beside him to see that Fuji purposely messed up his first ball.

"Saa…I wanted to taste it," Fuji said, smiling.

A shiver ran down through Rai's spine until he noticed…He missed his last ball. He looked at it with twitching eyes. _'Oh. Come. On!!'_

Inui held a cup to Rai and Fuji. He noticed that the freshman was on his knee, fiddling with something. "What are you doing, Yamato?"

"Tying my shoes…So I can…" Rai looked up at them with a smirk and dashed away. "RUN!"

* * *

"Momo-chan-senpai, I suggest you put me down," Rai hissed in the Junior's ear as he was slung over his shoulder.

Momoshiro gulped. He was creeped out by the freshman, yes, but he feared the captain's rage more. It had taken a whole quarter of an hour and the whole Regulars team, Tezuka excluded, to chase and catch the elusive freshman, and he was not going to risk the whole team ganging up on him. Fuji, not being one of the people who ran after Rai, was patiently waiting for him with his cup of the green stuff. The team was once again silent as they watched the pair gulp down the green juice slowly. They slowly lowered their cups and looked at them, faces unreadable.

"That was good," they said simultaneously. Fuji added, "I recommend it!"

All of them either deadpanned or had sweat drops down their heads. _'These guys are weird!'_

"Everyone did better than I thought," Inui said as majority of the Regulars lay around him. "Eiji, you have a tendency of losing your grip during your shot. That'll improve if you strengthen your triceps.

"Fuji, Kawamura, you have to work on your left and right dash. You need to develop your quadriceps."

"Where are those muscles?" Kikumaru, Oishi, and Kaidoh asked simultaneously sitting up.

"Momoshiro, your accuracy will improve if you hold your shots to 80 percent of your full strength," Inui continued.

"Hai." Momoshiro rolled around lazily, his eyes closed.

"Tezuka did not miss any shots…" The rest looked at their captain, coolly leaning against a pole. "…But he needs flexibility. Your expression is too cold." The air was filled with the sound of suppressed laughter. "Yamato, you need to lessen your dependency on your right leg," he added, not mentioning the incident where they first saw him. Rai just stretched out and let out a breath in acknowledgement. "And finally…" Inui looked at the two freshmen lying beside each other. Holding out several glass bottles of the white substance, he said, "Echizen, Yamato, let's start with two glasses of milk a day each."

'_Does he even realize that he's only a head taller than I am??'_ Rai's right eye started twitching as Ryoma sat up. "Even if we drink milk, we won't grow fast."

"Drink it," Momoshiro, Kikumaru, Oishi, and Kaidoh said, leaning closer to the two.

"Inui's recommending it so there's no mistake," Tezuka added.

"He's tested it on himself already," Kawamura said.

"Drink it in the morning, at the start of the day," Inui said, considering his green notebook.

"Actually, senpai…" The rest looked at Rai who had that stoic face of his back on again. "…It would be advisable if milk were to be taken at the end of the day, ideally before sleeping, as the hypothalamus will no longer have to worry about other functions and will be able to concentrate more on the digestion, resulting to the more thorough digestion of food and distribution of the nutrients in the body." The Regulars all had a face as they gawked at the freshman. "Also, the triceps are located on the forearm, a string of muscle stretching from the…." Kikumaru's jaw dropped at the detailed location. "The quadricepses are located on the lower leg, a string of muscle stretching from the tendon of the…" They gawked at him.

"What the heck is a hypothalamus?" Momoshiro asked, referring to the earliest statement.

"The hypothalamus," Rai explained, "is a central part of the base of the brain, closely related to the pituitary gland. It contains vital centers for controlling the autonomic nervous system, body temperature, water and food intake, and other involuntary movements such as digestion, breathing, heart beat, etc. It also produces hormones for regulating pituitary secretion and two systemic hormones."

The other Regulars, their coach, and Inui looked at Rai with some blue lines at the sides of their faces. _'What the heck!'_

"And back to the subject…" Inui leaned into his box, holding up some small metal weights. "…Let's add one more block."

"Wait a second Inui." Inui turned around to face Oishi.

"Five weights are okay," Fuji said, smiling.

"I don't even mind six," Ryoma added.

"We're eventually going to end up with that much, right Inui-senpai?" Momoshiro asked.

"No, for a Regular, we're going to add up to ten weights," he said, rearranging his glasses. All the regulars sat up and started to throw tennis balls at him. Inui tried protecting himself with his notebook. "Hey! Wait! This isn't funny!"

* * *

**Chapter Five is done! heheh...I would like to especially thank Hinataluv for reviewing (twice may I add, consecutive too) and giving me helpful tips. Sorry for the confusion with Rai and Hayato...though if you read on...(grin) Anyway, reviews please and I accept flames, constructive criticism, comments, anything goes actually. Thanks to everyone who added me to their list!**

_**Till Chapter Six!**_

**_SNEAK PEAK:_**

_Ryoma blinked when he saw a lavender-haired girl approaching the team. "Yo."_

_The girl, stoic-faced as ever, returned the greeting with a small wave._

_"M-Masato," Oishi stuttered for some reason. "Why are you here?"_

_"Doing something that does not concern you," Akari said curtly._

_"Nya! She's just like Chibi-kun!" Eiji hopped around and began looking for the freaky freshman. "Speaking of, where is he?"_

_"Cooling off because he really got pissed off by his weak, loud and annoying opponent earlier," Akari replied._

_"So you guys know each other?" Ryoma asked, adjusting his cap. "How so?"_

_"Acquaintance," Akari shrugged. "I'm going for lunch."_

_"Mind if I join you?" This question of Ryoma's earned him a lot of raised brows from his older teammates, the seniors especially._

_"I'm not one to be dictating your actions," she said nonchalantly, turning around and walking._

_"…Not yet…"_

_The rest, though intrigued by the freshman's reply, had no chance to ask about it as the two were too far off._

* * *

_ 'He's next.' From Akari's place, she could sense Rai's excitement. __'Kimura Takura…' Akari watched both players get ready. __ 'Will you be able to do anything if he uses one of his special moves?'_

_"One set match. Yamato of Seigaku to Serve."_

_"What? They're matching Kimura with that freshman?"_

_"He's a freshman?? He could have passed for a short Junior!"_

_"This is going to be a mercy match!"_

_"Go get 'im Kimura!"_

_ 'Mercy match?' Akari slid her fingers through her bangs then through the rest of her hair, parting it in the middle. __'Maybe but…'_

_Rai bounced the ball in preparation for his serve. __ '…Let's see who's at whose mercy…'_

* * *

**So it's not that much of a sneak peak...I was just in the mood to type. Thanks to Hinataluv again!**


	6. A Taste of Fudomine

**A/N:** _text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

_**text-**_technique

* * *

**Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Tennis no Oujisama (Syuusuke)**

**Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Tennis no Oujisama (Syuusuke)**

* * *

_**Chapter Six: District Tournament, A Taste Of Fudomine**_

* * *

"This bus is going to Shikinomori Sports Park," a lady's voice announced over the intercom as the doors slid closed.

Oishi walked in and looked around before taking the seat beside the stoic-faced captain. Setting his bag down, he said, "Finally Tezuka…"

Rai looked around and noticing some other people had not yet arrived, he resumed reading his book.

* * *

"This is the order we handed in for the registration," Inui said, holding up a single sheet of paper.

"Ah, Tezuka-buchou isn't going to play," one of the non-regulars said as he looked at it.

"Are they saving him for later?"

"What? Echizen and Momo are playing Doubles?"

"I heard they volunteered," the former regular said. "Sensei had a hard time deciding until the end."

* * *

"Eiji…" Oishi handed the redhead a towel as his Doubles partner handed him a water bottle.

"Thank you."

"Wow, just like the Golden Pair! They have great harmony," Kachiro commented.

* * *

"Hey Echizen, can you hand me that?" Momoshiro asked as he rummaged through his tennis bag.

"What's 'that'?" the freshman asked.

"That! That towel underneath your ass," the junior answered, pointing to the blue towel that Ryoma was sitting on.

"Not synchronized at all," Kachiro said, he, Katsuo, and Horio sweat dropping.

* * *

The schools lined up across each other from the net. "Six matches are played. In order to win, three must be won. This is Seigaku's first match. Even if someone already wins, all six matches must be played. All matches are a One-Set Match."

"So, what's going to happen?" the coach asked as she and Tezuka sat on the bench designated for the teams. "Don't think too hard Tezuka, it's better to relax."

"I understand," he said, not showing any emotion whatsoever.

"First match, in Doubles. Seigaku's Momoshiro-Echizen Pair. Gyokurin's Izumi-Fukawa Pair."

The pairs of boys walked up to the net, shaking each other's hands while talking among themselves.

"They're arguing aren't they?" Rai asked his smiling senpai quietly. Just watching the two gave him the urge to roll his eyes.

"That's what I was afraid of," Fuji said as he continued to smile.

"Echizen, let's go with the An-Un Strategy," the junior said.

"Hai." Ryoma hit his fist gently against Momoshiro's.

"What-What Strategy?" Rai blinked. "Know anything?"

Fuji shook his head. Inui did the same thing.

"Fight, Izumi! Fukawa! Show them your Gyokurin spirit!"

"Go Momoshiro! Echizen!"

Rai closed his eyes, his right eye slightly twitching. _'This is not a scream fest! So shut the hell up! Ugh!'_

"Game and match, Seigaku. 6-2."

"I can't believe these guys won…"

"Playing Doubles only in the middle…" Fuji shook his head, smiling as always.

"You idiots!" Ryuzaki grabbed the pair's cheeks and pinched them until they were a bright red. "Good thing you won, but think about the people who are sitting here and watching your game."

"Hey, look, the Seigaku's Doubles pair, even though they won they game, they're still being punished," one of Gyokurin's members said as the two in question sat on the floor, by the other Regulars' feet, their legs folded under them in a very uncomfortable position. They both hung their heads in shame as they received laughter from their teammates.

"Game and Match, Seigaku, 6-0."

The Golden Pair exited the courts as the team cheered for them.

"Next, Singles 4."

"Ganbatte Rai-kun/Yamato!"

Rai slowly removed the hands that were covering his ears and entered the courts. Five minutes later, he got out, looking bored and extremely annoyed.

"Game and Match, Seigaku, 6-0."

"Doubles 2-0. Singles, 4-0. The total is 6-0. Seigaku wins. Bow once."

"Thank you." Both teams bowed and exited the courts.

* * *

Ryoma blinked when he saw a lavender-haired girl approaching the team. "Yo."

The girl, stoic-faced as ever, returned the greeting with a small wave.

"M-Masato," Oishi stuttered for some reason. "Why are you here?"

"Doing something that does not concern you," Akari said curtly.

"Nya! She's just like Chibi-kun!" Eiji hopped around and began looking for the freaky freshman. "Speaking of, where is he?"

"Cooling off because he really got pissed off by his weak, loud and annoying opponent earlier," Akari replied.

"So you guys know each other?" Ryoma asked, adjusting his cap. "How so?"

"Acquaintance," Akari shrugged. "I'm going for lunch."

"Mind if I join you?" This question of Ryoma's earned him a lot of raised brows from his older teammates, the seniors especially.

"I'm not one to be dictating your actions," she said nonchalantly, turning around and walking.

"…Not yet…"

The rest, though intrigued by the freshman's reply, had no chance to ask about it as the two were too far off.

* * *

"Lunch?"

Fuji looked behind and saw the lavender-haired girl…only her expression was softer than what he had seen on her before. "Did you have yours with Echizen already?"

She shook her head. "I made him eat all the food…which at all was not hard."

Fuji chuckled. "So you're pretty hungry now?"

Akari leaned on the low concrete wall beside the brunette, showing that their height difference was only about a head. Tall for a girl her age…

"So how's Nishida-san doing in the Terpsichorean Club?" Fuji turned to her with his ever-present smile.

"A little more boost…She's still in the Dance Club though," she answered.

"Care to join us for lunch?"

"Your choice."

Nishida Kana was a classmate of the Tensai whom Akari met at the auditions for the Dance Club. While Akari got an instant promotion to a higher level, or what most people would usually call the "equivalents of the Regulars for Dance Club", Nishida stayed as the rest of the people, at the Dance Club. Still, the teacher saw her potential and asked Akari to try "disposing" of the "unnecessary timidity" that she had. With Akari's reputation, it seemed that the sensei picked well.

The two were acquaintances that did not really talk much to each other but smiled at the other in hallways (or in Akari's case, merely nod) and got along well when Akari stopped to pick up her "apprentice" in the seat in front of Fuji's. Nothing going, they were…acquainted.

They were silent for a while, until Tezuka came. Akari's usual tranquility seemed to give way to a new electric aura, and her face, once again, was hard and stoic.

The Tensai crossed his arms over his chest and observed the players as Tezuka did. He had a vacant look on his face as he spoke. "We're playing Mizunohuchi Gakuen after lunch, na?"

"Aa."

"Tezuka and Fuji…" Akari looked without turning her head and saw a male walking to them, in a jersey with 'K' stitched to a corner. "Are you gathering enemy information? Did you get some?"

Akari's eyes narrowed dangerously when the guy stopped rather close to her, closer than she would have liked — allowed more like it.

"Now that we're on the subject, Tezuka, I heard that you didn't play in the Gyokurin match. No. You probably couldn't play." A malicious smirk graced is lips when he saw Akari's features up close. "Is this cute girl with you? How about you and me get a drink, huh?"

"Let's go, Masato, Fuji." Tezuka had just noticed the expression on Akari's face and decided to turn. Akari looked at him before walking behind Fuji.

"Hold on." The male jogged to catch up and held the only girl in the group back by clasping her shoulder. "Come on, just one drink."

"Let go." Tezuka had grasped the boy's wrist and was looked at him, though his features were no different, something in his tone said he wasn't the usual calm either. The male tugged harder, trying to shake off Tezuka while still holding on to Akari but Tezuka did not even budge. It reeked foul play when he let go of Akari's shoulder and gripped Tezuka's elbow instead.

"Let go." Once again, the captain's voice was no different as his face, but Akari knew what he was feeling.

The guy just smirked and turned to look at Akari. As if it wasn't small enough, the guy started to lean closer to her, decreasing the gap that separated them. Much to Tezuka and Fuji's surprise, Akari let her right hand rise and make its way to the male's shoulder. All of a sudden, his face bore an expression as that of someone in pain…A great deal of physical pain.

Tezuka blinked when the guy's grip slacked and looked down at the point where the two connected. The girl's fingers were digging painfully deep into the obnoxious guy's abdomen, and her other hand was resting casually on his collar bone, with the thumb on his windpipe. At least it looked casual, but in truth, she was preventing the guy from screaming out and at the same time choking him.

One thing was clear. Akari's patience had snapped. "Kuki Kiichi…people like you who do not have any form of respect… should not be in tennis courts."

"You really get pissed off fast when you're sick, na?" They turned and saw a familiar greenish-black-haired freshman walking their way. "If you don't let go of him soon, we might get disqualified for foul play."

Akari let go of Kuki. "I didn't put enough pressure to make a bruise in that short while that I let my skin touch his."

Shaking his head, Ryoma came and pulled the female senior from the scene, as they were followed by the two other male seniors. "You made me eat all that…But Momo-senpai ate nearly half of it when you left."

"Making you do the earlier part of your statement…" Akari pulled her right wrist from Ryoma's as they neared the dining Regulars. "…Was an easy feat, Ryoma."

The Regulars looked up from their food, having heard the four coming, not to mention the last part of Akari's sentence.

"Hoi! Hoi! It looks like Ochibi's got himself a female friend!"

"Echizen! You got hooked with the person most would die to go out with!"

Akari looked at the freshman beside her and found a reeeaaally large irkmark on his forehead. Oishi, Fuji and Ryoma all had different looks on their faces, Tezuka as usual did not have any apparent reaction, and Akari…

"Momo-senpai…I think you should run…" Ryoma said slowly as Akari sat down beside him near the junior.

"Why's that?" he asked, stuffing onigiri into his mouth.

"She might…" Ryoma risked a quick glance at the girl beside her. "…Get up any moment now and—"

"Don't worry, I won't," Akari cut him off. "As of now that is."

Ryoma tilted his head to the side, the others doing the same. Akari did not like the extra attention and got up to get some drinks.

* * *

"Can I really? Are you sure?" Rai asked for the umpteenth time as he helped Akari carry the canned and bottled beverages. "You won't mind not playing?"

"Yes," she said patiently and went to the Regulars' tables.

"Chibi-kun's back!" The two laid down the drinks and let everyone choose. "Someone's extravagant! Was this Chibi-kun or Akari-chan's doing?"

The said people pointed to each other, causing the rest to have sweat drops.

"I need to go," Akari said as she looked at her watch.

"But you haven't eaten anything yet," the hyper redhead protested.

Ryoma held up a mouthful of food and the rest were surprised when the Senior girl ate it off of his chopsticks.

"Ja Ryoma, Rai." She gave a little wave and went off. "Ja Fuji, Kikumaru."

* * *

The guy from Fudomine hit the ball with Hadoukyuu and Akari was alarmed when she saw that Fuji had no intention of letting it pass. _ 'If someone as scrawny as him would receive a ball that powerful, his bones are bound to get broken!'_

She leaned onto a tree beside her, the same one that made her unseen to Seigaku's players but fairly visible to Fudomine, and was kind of relieved when Kawamura received it instead. Still, she knew that his wrist was injured in some way.

They had to forfeit the match.

When the two exited the court, the Regulars were all around them. Inui was going to spray first aid spray when Rai stopped him.

"Hey Yamato! Stop interfering Inui-senpai!" Horio yelled. Rai took Kawamura's hand gently. Everyone fell silent as Rai massaged parts of his shoulders, upper and forearms.

"The strained muscles will heal easier if they're relaxed. It'll also help if there's a sprained bone." Rai took the can of first aid spray from Inui and sprayed it on Kawamura's wrist himself. "The best way to apply first aid spray is at this particular angle because the right amount of pressure also helps reduce the pain and swelling." The others were amazed at him. Akari pulled down her cap. "Still, you should go to a hospital just as a precaution. There might be a crack in the bone."

* * *

"You got injured returning a ball?" the doctor asked as he examined Kawamura's wrist. "And a hole opened up the racquet…"

He laughed a few times, making Kawamura feel uneasy. "That's impossible."

"Excuse me, but it's the truth," Kawamura said, scratching the back of his head.

* * *

_'Just as I thought, Kikumaru is the type who rarely gets serious but brings out his true skill when the opponent seems worthy of sorts…'_ Akari said when the two of them won some games. The sky was getting progressively darker and thunder was rumbling in the distance. Rai sat back as Ryoma went to get water. Deciding that the match was over before it begun, he got up too and went to the drinking fountain.

"Those two are Fudomine's Kamio and Ibu!"

Rai paused and looked as a large number of people formed around something. Out of curiosity, he went and checked on it, also knowing that a certain someone would be there. Standing with the crowd was Ryoma, watching the said people return two balls to each other simultaneously and repetitively. Each freshman gave a small nod of acknowledgement when they noticed the other beside them.

"We were lucky to defeat Fuji in Doubles but our responsibilities as Singles players are tough," the redhead said as they continued to rally. His hair was parted to one side, covering his eye.

"Feeling unconfident?" the one with long dark blue hair asked.

"Stop talking like that. I'm brimming with confidence," the redhead said. "This will be over before we get to the captain's match."

A smirk formed on the lips of the two freshmen onlookers. They walked out of the crowd toward the water fountain, Rai leading. As they walked between the two rallying people, both held their racquets up, hitting the two balls back to the guys, continuing their rally. The two drank water (from different fountains of course) and wiped their mouths. "Mada mada dane. Want to increase your number of balls by one?"

"Ryoma, we have to go back," Rai said, breaking the silence that had followed.

"As a matter of fact, we have to get back too," the redhead said. They both turned away and started walking back. "I can't wait for our matches."

"Let's go." Ryoma nodded and the two started walking back too. Rai put his racquet over his shoulder. "I smelled rain still a while ago. Thought it would have fallen already."

Ryoma held his hand up, feeling raindrops on them. "Speaking of."

"Let's hurry."

"Game and Match, Seigaku, 6-2."

"There're going to see what happens. When it gets better, we'll continue with Singles," Ryuzaki said when she came back from a meeting with the referees and Fudomine's captain, Tachibana.

"I guess it's undecided if we're going to continue or not," Oishi commented.

"It's still up to the rain after all," Kikumaru said.

Rai leaned himself against the benches, using his arms as support. He shifted many times before standing and walking away.

"Hey, Yamato, where're you going?" Momoshiro asked.

"Bored." He pointed to the redhead from a while ago who was listening to his player while moving to the beat in his seat. "Going around."

_'I wish the rain…Would top already,'_ Rai thought as he walked, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his racquet loosely as it hung over his shoulder.

"Don't worry. The rain will stop in a matter of minutes, maybe quarter of an hour, and they'll resume the matches. It'll just be a little slippery, but considering you're still second, I think the ground will be able to dry up a bit."

Rai looked and found Akari leaning against the vendo. "Ponta?"

* * *

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Wait a while before opening that."

From the voice alone, Akari knew that the speaker was a certain blonde girl. _ 'Too bad Tachibana Ann won't be able to see her brother play.'_

Later, Akari was already listening to the older Tachibana being persuaded by Innoue the say why Fudomine withdrew last year.

"He trusts his team enough to leave them as they play," Rai commented.

"And you trust your senpai to win against Kamio…Shouldn't you be watching? After all, Kamio is said to be the fastest in that team," Akari said.

" '_Is said to be'_, huh?" he repeated as he walked away. "Shouldn't you know that by yourself already?"

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

"…For the Nationals…For the Nationals…For the Nationals…"

Tachibana knocked thrice and was given permission to enter. To their surprise, a lady was already there. From the moment they entered until they finished their request, bowing and all, the lady was quiet. Ibu could not help but look at her.

She looked like a twenty-year old with a really young face. Her curly lavender hair, reaching just above her butt, the same shade as her eyes, matched the color of the blouse she under over her white blazer. Her swingy white trousers were the right length for the white T-strap 2 inch heels she wore.

"But we already have a tennis club," the principal said with a frown.

"Let them." The boys looked up. "I saw what the current coach did and he deserved what he got. Imagine using the tennis court as an ash tray." The voice was surprisingly young, monotonous and yet…powerful and imposing. She spoke with so much natural authority, it was intimidating.

The principal considered this and checked some papers. "Hmm…Your record is quite impressive. It says here that you've coached many teams before, an all-boys team included." The girl nodded as she kept that soft face of hers. "Why don't you hold a kind of screening? See who can be the captain for next year?"

The corner of the lady's lips moved. "So I'm hired as a two-month-long trainer already?"

* * *

A ball landed with great speed in Tachibana's court.

"I…She…"

Their mouths were agape. The scoreboard showed all dango games—or more precisely, Golden Sets.

"But she's in heels!"

"She's not even in proper attire!"

The principal, watching at the sidelines, looked really impressed. As the lady exited the court, he asked, "So, how were they?"

"Given proper training, these guys may be able to reach the Kantou Regionals next year." She gave Shinji back his racquet. "Get that racquet of yours fixed at the stringers. It's good though."

She bowed and started walking away.

"Excuse me." She stopped and looked at the principal. "Your resume does not say your age and highest academic attainment. Also, it states that you had your name changed. What is your legal name as of now?"

"But I'm only applying for a short-term assistant coach."

"Yes, but we need them for our records." She considered this and sighed. She walked away and gave her response.

* * *

**Back to Present**

* * *

_ 'An around-the-pole shot,'_ Akari mused. _ 'If he perfects that, it'll be really handy.'_

"Game and Match, Seigaku's Kaidoh, 7-5."

_ 'He's next.'_ From Akari's place, she could sense Rai's excitement. _'Kimura Takura…'_ Akari watched both players get ready. _ 'Will you be able to do anything if he uses one of his special moves?'_

"One set match. Yamato of Seigaku to Serve."

"What? They're matching Kimura with that freshman?"

"He's a freshman?? He could have passed for a short Junior!"

"This is going to be a mercy match!"

"Go get 'im Kimura!"

_ 'Mercy match?'_ Akari slid her fingers through her bangs then through the rest of her hair, parting it in the middle. _'Maybe but…'_

Rai bounced the ball in preparation for his serve. _ '…Let's see who's at whose mercy…'_

He threw the ball upward and slowly raised his elbow, making his upper arm parallel to the ground. When the ball got into place, Rai drew back his hand, stretching it, and swung it forward, bringing it down sharply, his body bending forward for added force. The ball swiftly crossed the net, making it move violently and landed in front of Kimura's receptive foot. He got ready to swing when the ball bounced—it just didn't. It stayed spinning on the ground, and at the moment least expected, it bounced at a very low angle. It barely went higher than Kimura's ankle.

Akari ran her hand through her bangs. _ '_**_Ground Serve_**_this early? The insults you received…must have thinned your patience a lot.'_

Akari smiled as the game progressed. _ 'This…Kimura Takura…is showing good muscle endurance to be able to return his shots repeatedly. Even if they don't really count as his _**_Power Shots_**_, still they're really strong.'_

"Game to Yamato, 3-0."

"Rai-kun!"

"Way to go Yamato!"

Akari took a swig of her apple flavored Ponta. _ 'Something feels a little off…It's as if something bad will happen…' _She could not help but look at her right wrist. Last time she felt something similar, a glitch appeared in the security system and Akari, Hayato and the whole staff of the Yamamura Research Facility found themselves trapped in a building with plasma floors, lasers and loads of other nasty stuff. The only easy exit had been to go through the owners' escape route. Even then, they had to destroy a two-inch-thick titanium door.

* * *

"40-0."

Takura had begun panting hard, fully aware that he was losing the game. _'I have to get him with this one…I'm getting tired…'_

He bounced and served the ball. A long rally followed, with Rai hitting hard all the time. Rai ran to the net to catch a weak return. Akari's eyes grew wide when she saw Rai slip due to the mud. What's worse, he was headed straight for the metal pole. Rai leaned to the right and his ribs collided with the net instead. Akari sighed with relief; it could have been worse.

"40-15."

Rai sat up gingerly, feeling the place where the pole still hit despite the impromptu remedy.

"Yamato!" Oishi was looking at the red stain on Rai's shirt. The latter looked down at it as he was helped by other people.

Akari gripped the can so tightly, it crumpled and juice spilled out. Her stoic mask was broken and showed worry. Getting a grip on reality, she ruminated on what most probably happened. _ 'He had to move in order to avoid a serious head injury. If he had leaned to the left, the pole would hit him resulting to injury worse than this, automatically which would make him forfeit the match.'_ Akari let go of the crumpled tin. _'You have situational analysis skills that improve over time…Your injuries may be broken skin, strained or sprained parts, and badly injured ribs…You're not that much of a nitouryuu player so…'_ Akari closed her eyes and kicked the can as it fell. It flew into the garbage can thirty feet away. _ '…Ganbatte…'_

Everyone was standing to make room for Rai. Oishi lifted Rai's shirt to the stained spot, revealing a large piece of scraped skin, wounds where rocks had pierced his skin, and a wide belt of sorts that covered the area from under his ribs to his waist. Rai felt the spots above the belt and immediately regretted doing so as pieces of metal that broke with his fall protruded from it and punctured his skin even more. More so, his ribs ached and he knew normal play style would be impossible.

"We have no choice…" Oishi stood up. "…Mister Umpire we will withd—"

"I'll continue the match."

"But Yamato!"

Wanting to conserve his energy for the match and returning to his terse side, Rai wrote on the ground with his racquet. Momo-senpai.

"What?" the junior asked.

Get the starched white board from my bag and put it in here.

He unbuckled the belt around him (closely resembling his arm and leg warmers) and pulled it to give to Momoshiro.

Akari smirked. _'What were meant to support my injuries are the very same ones to help others…Again…'_

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

"What are those for?"

"I'm supposed to make them into splints of some sort…Or a not-so-hard, not-so-annoying cast," Akari answered, turning to the dark-haired boy in front of her. "Breakfast Hayato?"

He saw the first aid box and opened it. "Splints, full kit…Where you going, to a match or to war?"

Akari laughed it off. "Actually, Dr. Yuzume told me to use those as _my_ splints."

"And…did you?"

For an answer, Akari unbuckled her right arm warmer, opened the barely-visible zipper, took out the metal bars and threw it to him.

"It's a miracle. You followed others doctors' orders."

* * *

**Back to Present**

* * *

Akari smirked when he saw the Regulars' astonished faces. _ 'Eight 250g bars…with the warmers, 2.5 kilos…1.5 kilos lighter than what he usually wears…'_

"You don't even know how severe that injury of yours is," Oishi reasoned as Rai stood.

What I know is I can move. I can move, I can play. Besides, it's just a scratch, just a sprain. You're making a mountain out of a molehill.

Akari smirked from where she was. _ 'Very predictable…'_

"Yamato, be realistic," Oishi stated. "We're not even sure you can move well enough for the match."

Rai faced the Fukubuchou, took a step toward him and dropped to his feet in one quick motion. He placed his foot between Oishi's and, using his right uninjured arm as support, low kicked the senior. Oishi was surprised and fell to his posterior.

Well enough?

Even Tezuka was surprised that Rai could still move like that. Added to that, the cryptic message showed confidence.

"Tezuka and Echizen can win their matches," Oishi said reassuringly. "You don't have to worry about the team for now. Worry about yourself. Tell him, Tezuka."

Tezuka took one long look at Rai and made up his mind.


	7. Tezuka's Decision

**_Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Seven (Syuusuke)_**

**_Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Seven (Syuusuke)_**

**A/N:** _text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

* * *

**_Chapter Seven: Tezuka's Decisions_**

* * *

"Tezuka can win his match," Oishi said in a reassuring manner. "You don't have to worry about the team for now. Tezuka, tell him."

Tezuka took one long look at Rai and made up his mind. "You have twenty minutes."

For once, Rai's unemotional mask cracked and showed something not related to cockiness. It was just for a moment, though, because he bowed and when he rose his face was void of emotion once more.

_'Looks like we owe you…'_ Akari ran her hand through her bangs and let the rest slip through. She straightened herself once more and proceeded to watch the remainder of the game.

"Game to Takuya, 5-3, change court."

Rai was sweating profusely. As Takuya crossed the courts, he said something that Akari knew had hit Rai's nerve.

"Yamato-kun, I admire you for trying to continue our match, but if you can't play, just withdraw. You're only causing yourself more pain than necessary."

Rai stopped near the post and began unfastening his left arm warmer. He went near Ryuzaki's bench and dropped it there. A loud sound was produced.

The corners of Akari's lips curled up. _'Showoff…But only 3.5 kilos?'_

"Weights?!"

"Are you kidding??"

From the slightly curled up lips, Akari's face acquired a quite sadistic smile. _'The match is done.'_

* * *

Rai bounced the ball repeatedly. He threw the ball upward and slowly raised his elbow, his upper arm parallel to the ground. Rai jumped, simultaneously bringing up his racquet. When the ball got into place, he drew his hand back.

Both Seigaku and Fudomine players were alarmed.

Oishi as well as the others feared the same thing. "Only ten minutes and he's doing that serve again!"

Akari knew better. _ 'No it's not __**Ground Serve**__ it's…'_

The ball's speed accelerated after it crossed the net, hitting the ground with such force that it did not only make a loud sound but also a small hole due to sheer impact. It continued spinning, making the hole deeper, until the entire ball was already inside the hole. When it stopped, smoke seemed to come from it.

_ '…__**Shrapnel Serve**__…'_ Everyone showed expressions of pure shock but Akari smirked. _ 'Not as strong or as fast as normal, but considering his injury and the place, it's not that bad.'_

"Game to Yamato. Five games all."

The whole crowd was speechless. Takuya sat down heavily on the bench, panting hard. Rai on the other hand was just breathing heavily but still through his nose. The difference in their level of exhaustion was evident.

Oishi lifted Rai's shirt and looked at the bandaged injury, seemingly hoping he would let out a scream of pain. Anything that would stop him from continuing at such a pace. "Yamato don't use those serves again."

Rai looked at him for a while and to everyone's surprise, he nodded. Rai closed his eyes as he let a black colored liquid slide down his throat, his face creasing a bit. The rest could only wonder why the stuff gave off a tangy and bitter scent.

Akari saw the bottle Rai was holding. It came from her kit.i_ 'Black bottle, two red stripes, to increase the production of fibrin. His choice of remedy – quite mistaken. The black bottle with a single black stripe would have stopped any further bleeding, disinfected the open wounds if he poured the contents directly on them, and drinking it would help soothe the pain of your ribs.'_

Rai bounced the ball. _ 'No __**Shrapnel Serve**__, no __**Ground Serve**__. Not much of a nitouryuu player as of now and since Takuya's right handed, I can't do a proper __**Twist Serve**__…So…'_

He caught the ball and did the stance for a sidearm serve. Rai threw the ball quickly and hit it early.

"Quick Motion Serve!"

The ball barely passed the net and even though he was surprised, Takuya was able to return the shot. There was a long rally wherein Takuya lobbed the ball.

_ 'By lobbing the ball, taller opponents are given the advantage. But if your opponent is a power jumper…'_ Akari watched Rai jump high and hit the ball with a very powerful smash. _ 'Dunk Smash? Suits you.'_

"15-0."

At the next few rallies though, Rai only got a point. The rest were Takuya's. It seemed as though Rai had gotten slower. Not a surprise, as his injury was slowing him down.

After doing a slice, Rai bounced in anticipation of the return.

"He's doing Echizen's _**Split Step**_!" Horio announced unnecessarily.

_'When has the __**Split Step**__ been Ryoma's?'_ Akari smirked and Rai began his steady gain.

"30-40."

"Game to Yamato. 4-5."

"15-30."

"30-0."

"Game to Yamato, 5-5."

"15-15."

"15-30."

Rai was breathing deeply but steadily. Takuya's breathing was ragged – both had placed the tension several notches higher.

"30-30."

_'You're not even half-tired are you?' _Akari thought with mild amusement. _'Just sore because of your injury.'_

Rai was breathing and looking at the wristband that was left after he took off the arm warmer. _ 'Can or should I use that?'_

He looked around, trying to spot where Akari was.

_ 'Do whatever you want. Just don't overdo things.'_

Rai smirked and stood. Ever so slowly, he slipped the wristband on his left arm off, letting it fall with a thud beside him. _ 'Let's finish this then.'_

"Weights again?!"

* * *

Rai bounced the ball several times, threw it up and jumped, simultaneously bringing his elbow up, making it parallel to the ground.

"Aah! Which of those powerful serves is he going to use again?"

Akari's eyes narrowed partly to get a better look. _'…__**Ground Serve**__.'_

The ball bounced barely higher than the surface. It looked as if it did not bounce at all.

"40-30."

The next service was a normal slice that Takuya returned. There was a long rally, Rai targeting the lines themselves.

_ 'Making an exhausted opponent run from opposite ends of the court…'_ Akari was holding an unopened can of red apple flavored Ponta. _'In preparation for _that_, you used a sequence of backhands, two forehands and a volley…Sooner or later, you'll do a forced lob…'_

'_You're too obvious…'_

Rai twisted his trunk and returned the oncoming ball with much weight. It hit Takuya's racquet and was returned in the expected forced lob – a high lob at that. It went even higher than the fence.

Rai took three steps back, ran to the net and when he reached the attack line, jumped higher than anyone expected him to. He stretched his body, streamlining it against the wind, drew his hand back and slammed it downwards.

_'__**Avalanche…**__The heavy topspin, the momentum of the fall, and the tremendous force he can put even when injured…'_ Akari smirked. _ 'You're so good…it's scary.'_

She slowly raised her Ponta. Things seemed to go in slow motion as the ball cut the strings on the sweet spot of Takuya's racquet, at the same time a popping sound came when Akari opened her Ponta.

"Game and Match to Seigaku's Yamato. 7-5."

Rai landed, stood straight, closed his eyes and let out a long, deep breath. His eyes opened again when he looked in Akari's direction. Akari's eyes were closed when she took her cap off. Instead of the usual straight lavender hair, curly locks fell down to her lower back.

* * *

Fudomine's Kamio Akira, who was looking in her direction, was given a nice dose of surprise. "Sen—"

Akari ripped her gaze from Rai, looked at Fudomine and back again. She raised her hand in a small greeting before turning to leave.

"Oi, Akira." Kamio snapped out of his daze and looked at Tachibana. "What's with you?"

"I…" He looked at the place where Akari had been. "…Saw i_her_/i again."

All of the Fudomine regulars gave him looks. "Are you sure? When? Really?"

Tachibana was silent.

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

"Excuse me." The girl stopped and looked at the Fudomine principal. "Your resume does not include your age and highest academic attainment. Also, it states that it had your name changed. I would want to know what your legal name as of now is."

The lady frowned. "But I'm only applying for really short term trainer."

"Yes, but we need them for our records."

She considered this and sighed. She walked away as she gave her response. It left the whole crowd speechless.

"American Junior Year of High School, Masato Akari. Age? Way younger than you think."

* * *

**Back to Present**

Rai flinched when Akari adjusted his bandages. While the others were occupied by Fudomine's apparent distraction, he slipped away quietly.

"You're one lucky person," Akari said, shaking her head.

"Thanks to your intuition," Rai suppressed another flinch.

"Does it still sting in the same intensity as a while ago?" Rai shook his head. "Good."

After she fastened the bandages, Akari bought a red Ponta and a can of cranberry juice. She gave one to Rai and drank hers, saying, "Actually, it's kind of scary. You get the feeling that something bad would go wrong and it does."

Rai smirked. "Gifts can also be curses."

"Yeah," Akari crumpled her empty Ponta can and threw it into a trashcan twenty feet away. "Go change. Then go to the hospital. Meet you later. You want anything else?"

"Red Ponta," Rai answered. "You'll be getting cranberry this time, right?"

She smirked. "Want to throw in a fresh apple?"

"I'll take a peach."

* * *

"Oi! Yamato! Where did you go?" Momoshiro asked when he saw the freshman walking back.

Rai bit the apple he was holding and threw a violet Ponta to Ryoma.

"Hey! You haven't answered me yet!" Momoshiro hollered when Rai walked past him without saying a word.

Ryoma saw the flying can and caught it. He looked at Rai but he had his eyes closed, as usual, and was leaning on the low wall. Other Regulars offered him seats but he just plain would not take them.

_'Good luck on your game.'_ Rai finished his apple and threw the core.

* * *

Hayato's eyes widened when he saw Ryoma's racquet fly to the post, shattering into pieces, after trying to return Shinji's Spot Technique. The jagged handle of his racquet flew toward him, cutting his left eye. Hayato did all he could to stay in the sidelines and not go into the courts, careful not to attract unwanted attention, especially from Seigaku. In fact, he was in the same spot Akari had been earlier.

Rai maintained an expressionless face but his eyes hinted concern.

"Ryoma-kun, we have to go to the hospital," Sakuno said as she ran onto the court, pulling his hand as she held a mauve-colored ribbon in her own. Ryoma, as he had done before, pushed her away.

Rai gripped the backrest of the bench for players and coaches. He had been restraining himself from doing the same thing.

"It's an insult to a tennis player when fans start to heckle you," Ryuzaki said sternly. "If you're my granddaughter Sakuno, you should remember that."

"B-But R-Ryoma-kun's injury," she stuttered, still clinging to his arm.

"First things first, we have to stop the bleeding," the coach said further. "Oishi, bring the first-aid box quickly."

Oishi ran over to the end of the benches and got a wooden box as Sakuno left the court, her head bowed down. Ryuzaki brought Ryoma over to the benches where Oishi started to clean the wound.

"It's no good, it won't stop bleeding," the Vice-Captain said, holding a blood-soaked cloth. Throwing away the cloth and grabbing another, he added, "There is nothing wrong with the eye itself but the eyelid muscles are done for."

"Must be painful for Echizen," Momoshiro said, causing Kawamura to faint. The junior managed to catch him before he hit the ground. "Hey, Taka-san, get a hold on yourself. We're not going to have to go the hospital again, are we?"

"How is it Oishi?" Tezuka asked.

"It's no good, it's impossible to continue in this condition," Oishi said as he continued to stop the bleeding. "It will be disappointing to forfeit after coming this far."

"It's in pieces," Momoshiro said, picking up two large pieces of the injured freshman's racquet. "I'm going to put it in your bag."

"Momo-senpai, take out the spare one while you're at it."

"You got it," Momoshiro said as he took out an identical red racquet.

"It's absurd to play with that injury!" Oishi nearly shouted. "Don't force yourself. It's too much of a handicap."

"Echizen, do you plan on continuing to play? I cannot let you play unless you stop the bleeding. Coming all this way, you must be disappointed that you must give up," the umpire said, out of his seat.

"I'll play," Ryoma said as he got up and wiped the blood on his uniform. "The bleeding stopped."

"But-!"

"Do you happen to know where Akari is?" Ryoma asked the Vice-Captain. "She works wonders in cases like this."

"Hoi hoi O-chibi, it's not the time to worry about your girlfriend!" Kikumaru said as he bounded over.

"I-" Ryoma suddenly realized what his senpai said. "She's not my girlfriend! It's just that she knows what to do with these things…"

"Move."

The rest looked at Rai as he ushered Ryoma to sit facing him, pushing Oishi out of the way. He felt for his bag, opened it and rummaged inside. Everyone was awed at his skill when he used the needles drawn out from his bag to stop the bleeding. Ryoma flinched when the needles were put on his fingertips, shoulder, and some parts of his face, but managed to keep still.

After a few moments, Rai patted the bloodied spots so that they were clean. He took out some needles, making Ryoma flinch again, and pushed them into a different piece of cloth. The unused ones were in thick white rectangular cloths and the others were in dark blue ones. After putting a patch over Ryoma's eye, Rai took off the remaining needles.

"Ryoma, get over here," Ryuzaki called. She inspected Ryoma's eye when he came over. "Sht, it stopped, but you're still a stubborn fool. It hurts, doesn't it?"

"It doesn't hurt," Ryoma said, but everyone could tell he was lying through his teeth.

"It stopped…" All who witnessed it were utterly amazed. "He made the bleeding stop…"

"But that's impossible! It was bleeding like crazy just a while ago!" Oishi sounded incredulous.

Rai wrote on the ground with his feet, the slightest hint of a smirk on his face. 'You sound disappointed.'

"Of course not!" Oishi said in defense. "I was just-!"

Rai cut him off by showing him an outspread set of fingers. 'It stopped. But not permanently.'

Worried looks appeared on their faces. "But we thought…"

'Fifteen minutes, tops.'

Rai put his stuff back in his bag and resumed his _I-don't-care_ attitude. Closing his eyes, he thought, _'It is now up to them. To Ryoma. And him.'_

Hayato gave an impression of an amused smirk. _'Lately, things seem to fall in u__his__/u hands…'_

He gave an innocent smile when he saw Rai open his eyes a fraction and look at him. One again, Rai shut his eyes as he listened to the conversation between Ryoma and the others.

"I can play since the bleeding stopped, right?" Ryoma asked as the umpire.

"Th-that's the way it sounded," he stuttered.

"Ten minutes," Tezuka said, handing Ryoma his racquet. "Ten minutes, if this match isn't decided yet, you will forfeit. Got it?"

"Ten minutes is more than enough to beat this guy," Ryoma smirked and grabbed his racquet, walking back onto the courts.

"Echizen, go," Oishi gave a deep sigh. "Just don't overdo it."

"Ryoma, I think you forgot something."

"Thanks." Ryoma caught the cap that Rai threw over to him.

* * *

"Game to Ibu, 4-3, Change court."

"Echizen-kun lost his service game…" The freshmen weren't the only ones worried.

As the game progressed, Ryoma said, "I've seen the two weaknesses of that technique."

Ibu hit the ball and Ryoma returned it with ease, switching to his right. "Have you ever used Spot against a nitouryuu player before?"

The game progressed, Ibu's use of consecutive slice shots apparent.

_'When the ball is aimed at the face, it is difficult to put a spin on the ball. Therefore, all Ibu's shots turn to slices.'_

"I'm waiting for a topspin," Ryoma taunted.

A miniscule smirk formed on Hayato's face as he watched from the sidelines. He looked at Rai's face and found it blank. _'For all I know…'_

Both were alarmed when they noticed that the bandage on Ryoma's eye was starting to get soaked with his blood.

"Game to Echizen, 5-3."

Rai watched in mild amusement as Ryoma jumped and took a posture similar to that of a Twist Serve and smashed the ball. Just like a real Twist serve, it bounced in the direction of Ibu's left cheek. It missed, and on reflex, he caught it with his unoccupied hand.

"Game and Match to Echizen, 6-3."

"Did I make it within ten minutes?" Ryoma looked over to the regulars who all gave him thumbs up. It had only been nine minutes and fifty-four seconds.

"District Tournament winner, Seishun Gakuen," the umpire announced as both teams lined up at the net. "Together with runner-up, Fudomine Chugakko, we will be anticipating good games from both of you at the Prefectural Tournament. That is all."

Both teams bowed toward the referees then to each other. "Thank you."

* * *

"Did you get that playing tennis?" the doctor asked as the nurse wrapped a patch around his eye. This must be really rough tennis to produce injuries like yours and the two other guys that came before you, a bruised wrist and fairly injured ribs. Kids these days."

Ryoma just looked at him and got out of the room, putting his gakuran on. Just outside, he saw Rai waiting for him as he had gone in earlier.

"You seem fine to me," he said, whispered as he usually does.

"Okay, let's go onto our next stop," Ryuzaki said.

"There's something else to do?" the two freshmen asked.

"Stop grumbling and let's go," Ryuzaki said with a wink.

After some time, they stopped walking and stopped. The two boys were looking at a wooden plaque with '_Kawamura Sushi Shop'_ written on it. They opened the wooden sliding doors and shut them again instantly.

They were preparing to walk away when the doors opened again and Momoshiro and Kikumaru dragged them in – literally. "Where do you think you two are going?"

Rai sat on a table with the other freshmen, Ryoma and Momoshiro. He then noticed the lady that took pictures.

"What's 1 + 1?" Shiba asked, her camera ready.

"Ni," the two freshmen said in an emotionless tone. Momoshiro pulled the sides of Ryoma's mouth up as Kikumaru did the same to Rai, both senpai's giving off large cheesy grins. When they had sat down rather peacefully with Fuji, he asked, "What's all this?"

"Can't you guess? What do you want to eat first?" Momoshiro said as he picked up a menu.

"This is a place run by my dad," Kawamura said as he handed the two freshmen each a cup of tea. "When he heard that we won, he closed the shop and made it our celebratory party."

"Anago! Anago! Anago!" Kikumaru chanted eagerly. He was devastated when he saw that Momoshiro, Ryoma and Rai had already finished all of it.

"Congratulations on the win," the older Kawamura said, loudly to Ryuzaki, as he poured a flagon of beer. "Would sensei like some more beer?"

"Err, no thank you, I'm driving," she replied, gently pushing the carafe away.

"Aw, that's too bad, but how about our male sensei over here?" he asked, offering the guy beside the coach.

"Anou…Otousan…That's…Tezuka-buchou," Kawamura said and the room was instantly filled with laughter.

"Ah, I apologize for my rudeness," his father said, surprised.

Eiji then approached Fuji who was eating rolls alone on a separate table, saying, "Hey, Fujiko, it's selfish of you to eat those rolls all by yourself."

Fuji only responded with his ever-present smile.

"Ah! Look! What's that?" Kikumaru pointed to a certain direction. When the Tensai wasn't looking, he took a few pieces of what Fuji was eating, devouring it like a cat.

"What the hell is that?!" he asked, teary-eyed.

"Wasabi sushi," Fuji said casually. It would have looked casual had it not been accompanied by a rather sadistic smile.

"Argh! Tea! Tea!"

"Well, we're going to go back to the school," Ryuzaki said as she stood with Oishi and Tezuka, ready to leave. "I guess I can let them go wild for today."

"Ah! This chirashizushi is awesome!" Momoshiro said, gaining the approval of the two freshmen beside him. "It looks so delicious!"

"Momo, you ate enough already! It's my turn!" Kikumaru said as he pushed the junior aside.

"What are you saying? The early bird gets the worm," Momoshiro said and they started fighting over the dish.

"Ryoma-kun, Rai-kun, let's take pictures together," Shiba said. "Kachiro, can you do the honors?"

The two freshmen just sat there and Shiba gave a peace sign. They all looked up when they heard the door open. Standing in the doorway was the familiar lavender-haired girl.

"I'm supposed to give Oishi the written report in History," she said, giving a small wave to Kikumaru, Fuji, and the two freshmen. "So seeing he isn't here anymore, I'll just leave and—"

"Nice timing, Oishi-senpai just left." The regulars were surprised when they saw Ryoma bounding over to her and pulling her back by her collar. "And don't think we'll let you get away without anything. You gave us a nice lunch a while ago."

"Ksssss…." Akari hissed literally as Ryoma pulled her and made her sit at their table with Fuji. "Ryoma, le—"

Ryoma stuffed some sushi into her slightly opened mouth and earned startled looks from the people. Akari coughed and glared daggers at the freshman, the first real emotion she had let show.

"Here, Aka-chan, have some of this," Kikumaru was giving off a wide grin as he held up some sushi from Fuji's plate.

A mushroom sigh escaped Akari's lips and she seemed to lighten and soften up a tad bit. She took the sushi and ate them, chewing slowly, with Kikumaru anticipating a sudden cry of red-faced, teary-eyed search for water, what would then be her second show of emotion in five minutes.

Instead, he fell comically from the table he was leaning on when Akari said, "It's good, wasabi sushi."

"Nya! She has weird tastes in food like Chibi-kun and Fujiko!"

* * *

Rai walked home, deliberately taking a different route than he usually did, and ended up having a good half hour's walk. Beside her was Akari, who had slipped away earlier than him as soon as they had turned to an intersection, but ended up with him again.

He paused when they passed a temple. Actually, it was more appropriate to say the first of many flights of stairs going there.

Akari halted as well. "Problem?"

"None," Rai answered. "Just a little nostalgia…"

At one point of the little celebration, Rai retrieved a black fountain pen with '_Y,H'_ engraved on it. The other regulars stopped and watched him as he approached Ryoma with it.

Ryoma looked up, his eyes trailed on the pen as Rai twisted it open. Rai covered Ryoma's uninjured eye and wrote something on the patch using very light strokes. He left the pen on the table for others to use before going back to the table.

Before the event ended, Ryoma's bandage was full of scribbles.

_Get your eye healed before the Prefecturals._

_Let's go beat them and go straight to the Nationals! - Momo-chan_

_Would you like some of my Inui Special Vegetable Juice to help you heal your eye? –Inui S._

_Get well soon, O-Chibi's eye! Nya! -Kikumaru E._

_Fssshhh…Don't do something foolish like that again…_

_What's with you and Akari-san? __J__ That was great. Can't wait for a match with you. __J_

_Get better so we can have a match already. -R_

_Ryoma, don't back down. Remember, you still owe me. Btw, Hayato misses you…Don't show this to him as he might wring my neck later. __JJJ__ — A _In much smaller—but nonetheless visible—Western handwriting, Akari wrote something else.

_Oh yeah, I just wanted to tell you…Meet you on Monday, 'kay? Ja!_


	8. There Are Just Some Days

_**Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Eight (Syuusuke) (8)**_

_**Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Eight (Syuusuke) (8)**_

* * *

**A/N:** _text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

* * *

_**Review Responses**_

**White Alchemist Taya - **Whee! Lotsa reviews! Thanks for that. Erm...The prologue gets involved with the story a little after their first encounter with Akutsu Jin in Episode 38 (Penal-Tea)...Yeah, Rai ran from the juice :D...The borders, I just found out when someone pointed them out to me...Some characters like "" and "" and "" don't appear...So sorry for that ...The weights, I know, they're heavy (I have no idea how my brother puts up with that while running around stairs with 84 steps...All day to boot...Maybe he's not human --;;;)...Thanks for the reviews! Hope you keep reading!

**Hinataluv - **When will you post your fic? :D

* * *

**_Chapter Eight: There Those Days…_**

**_Part One: Spies at Practice_**

"Has your injury healed yet?" Ryoma asked as the two regular freshmen exited the library.

"It's just skin," the raven-haired answered. He paused and looked in the direction of the tennis courts. "There seem to be a lot of people over there. More than usual."

"I think they said something about scouts," Ryoma shrugged, earning a raised brow from his companion.

"You actually listen?" Rai blinked.

Far into the courts, Akari had been in one of them to deliver a message from the principal to Ryuzaki and was currently running for dear life from the scouts _and_ fanboys _and _the still-ignorant-or-doesn't-want-to-see-that-she's-a-girl fan_girls_.

"You seem to be the errand runner of our principal nowadays," Fuji commented as he met her by the sink he and Kikumaru were dipping their heads in.

"Wouldn't mind so much if so much people don't follow me around," came the predictable reply of the sociopath lavender-haired girl. Both senior boys noticed her looking past them and into the bushes and saw that a camera lens was sticking out.

"How many do you think are there?" Kikumaru asked.

"Let's see." Fuji covered the opening of the faucet and the water spurted into the direction of the bushes.

"Ah! My camera! It got wet!"

Akari smirked and drifted off into the forest-like canopy of trees that their school had. She immediately jumped onto a branch and proceeded to relocate herself by jumping on a nearby one. She leapt from branch to branch until she heard and sensed two people.

Akari looked down and sure enough, two scouts from Gyokurin were there. As luck would have it, she was also looking out to the two freshmen regulars as they carried out library representative duties.

Smirking, she silently dropped down, timing herself so that she does so with a gust of wind. Akari then got as far away as possible, an ominous crash coming from where she had slightly cracked the branch the scouts were on.

* * *

Rai glanced at the part where the trees and lake mostly were. His brow rose ever so slightly when he saw an all-too-familiar lavender-haired figure scurrying away from the place.

He later paused to watched Ryoma try to hit a senior from Yamabuki with an elastic tennis ball the Sakuno person had gotten from a sports shop a few days ago. Since he was using his right, the ball always stopped a few centimeters from the orange-haired senior's face.

Rai smirked. _'I think this is the Sengoku that Nee-chan was referring to. He knows how far the ball will go from Ryoma. I think he __is_ _good.'_

Sengoku commented something Rai didn't catch, but he thought it was about hitting better. He was right for Ryoma threw his racquet up and caught it with his left in time to hit the ball again with a backhand.

"Thanks for the tip," the freshman said as he walked away.

That shot reached its target and Sengoku fell on the ground, his eyes in spirals.

* * *

"Nya, what's wrong Aka-chan?" the bouncy neko-like redhead asked as he, Akari and Fuji went to the courts. Almost unmercifully, the Terpsichoreans were practicing nonstop and really hard. Currently, the stoic female senior was making her way to the sinks—only for the second time since their practice started. The Tennis Club had already had six breaks and whenever they catch a glimpse of the female senior, an annoyed look would be on her face.

"Too much people following annoy me," the ever-stoic lavender-haired girl said as she ran her fingers through her bangs. "Do you have any idea how much spies there are?"

"I'm sure Inui or someone is counting," Fuji said as he picked up a yellow towel, wiping his face dry.

"Total of forty-nine spies," Akari commented dryly. "Averaging the past two years, has gone up 175."

Kikumaru looked at her as if she was from outer space—or more specifically, _Data Planet_.

* * *

"I got the list of schools in the next tournament," Inui said, approaching the Tennis Team's captain. Tezuka turned to him, admonishing him to continue. "The usual participant, Hyotei Gakuen. Yamabuki Junior High has Sengoku as their Junior selection. And also, Fudomine from our last tournament."

Tezuka gave a small nod and turned back to wtch the regulars currently on the courts before him.

"The kouhai has more talent than his senpai," Akari commented softly much later at a street tennis court where Momoshiro and Ryoma had a Doubles match against a pair of scouts. It was supposed to be Rai with Ryoma but Rai would just plain refuse Doubles.

"This match is pretty much finished if you can't go on," Ryoma said as the four watched Kenzo fall over in his attempt to stand.

"I can still play," Kenzo said stubbornly.

"The last shot was nice," Akari commented, earning startled looks from the players.

"Akari, would you stop sneaking up on us like that?" Ryoma said. Apparently, none of them had noticed her following them from the Ice Cream Parlour.

"Just thought it'd be fun to watch," Akari shrugged. "Anyway, back to the shot. I hadn't predicted that."

"Shun, do you want to brag that we tied with the Seigaku regulars?" Kenzo asked as the two scouts left the court, having shredded their notebook full of notes. "Not to mention a really beautiful girl asked us out but we refused her?"

"Nandani…? When did that happen?"

"What's this?" Ryoma asked, bending down to read from a piece of paper from the notebook. "Momoshiro likes a girl in his year."

"Who could that be?" Rai asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Beside him, Akari smirked. They had the same blonde girl in mind.

* * *

**_Part Two: Kaoru's Misfortune_**

As usual, Momoshiro was walking with Ryoma, Rai, Horio, Katuso and Kachiro. Even though the first years had shopping duty, Momoshiro stuck around.

Rai stifled a yawn. As usual, he took no participation in the others' conversation. He turned and entered the sports shop, but he was not unaware that Momoshiro was chasing a burglar who was on rollerblades.

Without waiting for the others, Rai purchased the needed equipment and bought some other stuff as well. He was really sleepy. It just wasn't obvious since he was pokerfaced. He sat in a corner and had a catnap while sitting perfectly straight, with his eyes still half-open. **(Perfectly possible. How? Look at me, I do that in class…And I manage to get off the hook without failing…)**

The other freshmen entered the shop with Ibu Shinji of Fudomine. As expected, Momoshiro was not with them. Ryoma and Ibu had a very electric, edgy atmosphere but their conversation was decently civil. That is, until they reached for the same grip at virtually the same time.

"Let go," Ibu said in a monotonous voice.

"No," replied the freshman, his voice equally emotionless and stubborn.

Just then, Rai felt two familiar presences enter the store.

"Sorry about your racket, Eiji," Kawamura mumbled apologetically.

"It's okay," Kikumaru said, holding up his silver racquet spilled with cola. "It needs repairing anyway."

* * *

Hayato's eyes trailed on a jogging Kaidoh—make that a _blushing, jogging Kaidoh_. _ 'I had no idea Kaidoh-senpai blushes this easily...'_

Shaking his head in dismissal of the subject, he made his way to the public tennis courts where Momoshiro and Ryoma were once trashed by the Gyokurin pair Izumi and Fukawa. Upon reaching it, he wished he had arrived sooner.

What he recognized as two Hyotei regulars had just defeated everybody there and were currently about to start a match with Momoshiro and Kamio Akira.

"Hey Momoshiro, are you sure you can play Doubles?" Kamio asked.

"Of course!" Momoshiro beamed. "Doubles is my specialty!"

"Liar!" the two from Gyokurin hollered.

Hayato watched (noted more like) the way Momoshiro talked to Tachibana's sister, An.

"You're too close to An-chan," Kamio said through gritted teeth.

"You know," Momoshiro said casually, turning to go to the courts, "I actually like being liked by people."

* * *

"Ah! Kikumaru-senpai! Kawamura-senpai! Help!"

Rai was jolted into full alertness having heard one of the most annoying voices he knew. Trying hard to suppress the urge to strangle the unibrowed kid, he watched the scene with mild amusement. Near the entrance (nowhere near him, thankfully) the three other freshmen were asking help from the most childish person among the Regulars. Meanwhile, in an aisle, Ryoma and Ibu were still at it.

Ibu had not moved yet. "I said let go so let go."

Ryoma was the same. "I said no and that means no."

"Ganbatte, O-Chibi!" the hyper redhead cheered. Rai had to prevent himself from emitting a mushroom sigh when hyper Senior rambled on about school honor and stuff.

"You don't need to say it." Rai looked back at the two people standing in the aisle. The two were looking at each other, making direct eye contact.

(Sorry, just had to insert this…OMGawd, Yaoi time! Too bad I don't write good Yaoi…)

* * *

"Good boys like him are hard to come by nowadays."

Hayato looked at Kaidoh, his jaw uncharacteristically slightly opened. _ 'Third time today…Kaidoh got praised like that…He must be flattered. But still, he's so dirty and muddy…What an unlucky day he's had…in a way, that is…'_

* * *

The others followed as Ryoma and Ibu walked out of the shop, the glass doors automatically sliding at their departure. Each of them was holding a handle of the paper bag containing the grip that caused all the mayhem.

Rai's eyes turned sharply mere seconds before he heard a high-pitched scream and sounds of now-familiar rollerblades. Then, an idea struck Kikumaru. He proceeded to explain how the two must serve and whoever strikes the robber will take the grip. All stepped aside as the two timed their serves.

"One Point Match. Seigaku's Echizen and Fudomine's Ibu to serve."

Ibu's serve bounced harmlessly while Ryoma's Twist Serve hit the robber square in the face, bounced back on the wall, on the fence…and landed right on the jogging Kaidoh's head.

Hayato, who was just a block from them, looked at Kaidoh's ticked expression and decided to put safe distance. Moments later, a mangy Kaidoh emerged from a corner—the same corner the ball had disappeared into.

"You look so dirty Kaidoh," Kikumaru observed. "Is that a product of Inui's 'special' Training Menu?"

Rai felt as much as he saw murderous intent in Kaidoh's face. He stood up and immediately went away from them before an angry Kaidoh got his hands around the poor robber's neck.

Sure enough, minutes later, Kikumaru and Kawamura had to stop Kaidoh from strangling the man.

"Hey, Kaidoh! Stop it!" Kikumaru said. He then saw Momoshiro turn the corner and immediately let go. "Hey Momo, who has the fastest reflexes among the Seigaku Regulars again?!"

* * *

Akari and Hayato were lying on their sides of the indoor tennis court (that nevertheless still looked like a lawn court) very exhausted from the game they had just played.

"I'll go join Regulars' practice tomorrow," Akari said in between breaths. "Oishi's been bugging me nonstop since he knew of my connections to Fuji and Ryoma at the Shikinomori Sports Park."

"He…knows of…your connection…to Fuji?" Hayato said, his voice raspy.

"Reality? Of course not." Akari heaved herself up and walked to the bench nearby, drinking a greedy draft of water. "I would be a complete failure if Oishi found out before Syuusuke did."


	9. Zone Practice

Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Nine (Syuusuke) (9)

**Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Nine (Syuusuke) (9)**

**Chapter Nine: Zone Practice**

Akari was watching the sun set once as she was going home. She stopped by the bridge, looked down, and saw two things. First, she saw the three freshmen, Horio Satoshi, Kato Kachiro, and Mizuno Katsuo, trying to train so that they would get into the Regulars' Lineup next year. Next, Akari noticed a crouched Inui holding a golden bug, smirking evilly as his glasses glinted the way it only did when things were connected to his detestable juices.

Immediately, she sprinted back home.

"Shouldn't you be at practice?" Akari asked, her head tilted in inquiry, as she looked at Ryoma's sleeping form on the rooftop.

"It's Lunch," he stated bluntly, not bothering to remove the cap that was covering his face.

Akari shrugged and went to the wire fence. "You should be spending the time with the Seniors. It's their last year, you know."

Ryoma shifted and answered, still not looking at her. "You just say that because you yourself are a senior."

"Don't get started on the subject," the lavender-haired girl went back to the door and left the freshman. She went down the stairs and paused when she passed a corner. "Are you Rai or are you Hayato?"

The dark-haired freshman smirked. "Does it matter?"

"It would give me an idea what you're up to," she said noncommittally, still not turning around to face the freshman just a few spaces behind her.

"If I told you I was going to the Dance Club?" Akari heard shuffling and did not so much as move as she felt the tall freshman walk past her. "Would that help?"

"Tons," Akari said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "So seeing that both personas are…"

The school bell rang. Akari waited a while before closing her notes. She looked up, seconds later, she found herself in an all-too-familiar redhead's arms.

"Nya! Aka-chan, why didn't you go to 3-6 a while ago at Lunch?" Kikumaru inquired, rubbing his cheek in a catlike manner against Akari's. "We missed ya!"

"Anou, Eiji, I think you should let go," Oishi said in a worried tone, getting up from his own seat, quite a distance from Akari's. "I don't think Masato-san is the type of person who likes to be—"

"As long as he lets me breathe, I don't mind that much," Akari said, cutting off Oishi. "And it's not everyday I take Nishida-san to practice. I also want to try different clubs too."

"Saa, I didn't think Akari-san would have a soft spot for Eiji," the smiling brunette said. "Who would have known?"

"It's not like that Syuu—Fuji," Akari said, trying to shoulder the school bag that was lying on her desk. "Wouldn't i_you/i_ find it a relief that someone does this to you not because he-or sad to say in my case, sometimes she-is a fan?"

"Mou…" Kikumaru pouted, letting go of Akari. "Couldn't you at least have said that with some emotion or something? Your monotonous Tezuka-Yamato-and-Ryoma-like voice is really freaky."

Akari made her way out of the classroom and to her locker, the three boys still following. The changing room was just a few meters from Akari's locker and this was often the case so she did not really mind.

"Nya, Aka-chan, why don't you spend the day with us? Training, I mean," Kikumaru suggested as he bounced along. "You said so yourself, you want to try different clubs."

"But Eiji, Masato-san has to attend to her club too," Oishi said politely. "I'm sure she has a lot to do."

"It's Wednesday so I don't have any practice on any club," Akari said, looking at her cellphone's calendar. Kikumaru's fast eyes caught the silver lettering on the back, almost invisible since the case was also the same silver, but Akari's hand covered it as soon as she felt someone looking at it. "I guess practice with the famed Seishun Gakuen Tennis Club won't hurt. That is, if you have permission."

"Yatta!" Kikumaru exclaimed happily, all thoughts of the silver markings forgotten.

"We already asked Ryuzaki-sensei and apparently, we have pairings today that would require an even number so she said yes," Fuji said happily.

"I'll go then." Akari retrieved a bag and went to change.

Oishi watched her retreating back. "Is it me or do you seem keen to watch her play tennis?"

"Saa…Let's just say she's…interesting," Fuji said as he remembered a certain incident a few days ago.

_iFuji was just coming back from the water fountain when he saw a familiar figure standing and looking at the tennis courts – or more precisely, watching the practice being held there. Intrigued, he went and watched beside her._

"_Momoshiro could do better with accuracy if he lessens his power by 20 – 25 percent," the female senior stated, still not taking her eyes off the game that was being played._

"_Saa, you seem to know a lot," Fuji said. Oddly enough, he found his hand on the girl's shoulder. More surprising though, was the fact that the girl did not react. Dismissing it as nothing but impulse, he asked, "Do you play tennis?"_

"_A bit," Akari replied, finally looking at the Tensai. "I'll be going now."_

_Fuji looked at her, his azure eyes suddenly visible. Surely a person must know more than /i_a bit_ ito know things like that._

/i'Interesting,'_ iFuji thought and walked back./i_

"Regulars, gather around," the stoic voice of the captain boomed during the after-school practice. "There are nine more days until the Prefectural Tournament begins. From today on, Regulars will practice with a special menu – a rally match with limitations to where the ball can land, known as Zone Practice."

"Sounds interesting," Kikumaru beamed. "Aka-chan is missing out a lot. I haven't seen her since she left to change, nya!"

"Saa, maybe she had duty calls," Fuji suggested. The two then tuned in to what Inui was saying as he appeared next to the captain.

"The differences between the Regulars' play styles are as follows," Inui stated. "Counter Punchers, who stay at the baseline and wait for opponents to miss with their stable strokes, also known as the human backboard, members are Kaidoh, Fuji and Oishi. Aggressive Baseliners, who stay at the baseline but attack fiercely, members are Momoshiro and Kawamura. Serve-and-Volley, who has talents in both speed and reflexes centered on net play, member Kikumaru. Echizen, Tezuka, and Yamato are All-Rounders, who use different techniques in order to maximize their overall strength.

"Counter Punchers and Aggressive Baseliners are against each other, with Counter Punchers using the whole court, and vise-versa. All-Rounders and Serve-and-Volley are against each other, with All-Rounders using half of their court, and vise-versa.

"In a five-rally match, the players on defense must only return to their opponent's half of the court. If you hit outside the half court, you lose. As for attacking players, you will lose if you cannot score a point within the five rallies."

"So, technically, we attackers must finish the game within five rallies, right?" Ryoma clarified.

"Correct," was Inui's reply.

"On the other hand, the defenders win if they don't score a point within the five rallies," Oishi said.

"Yes," Inui replied yet again. "On top of that, if you lose, you will have to drink my Special Vegetable Juice."

Inui held up a plastic cup full of thick green liquid. Both Eiji and Kaidoh's faces turned blue as they remembered the last time they had to drink the dreadful concoction.

"Start practicing now," Tezuka commanded, his face in its usual unfazed state.

So far, three pairs have fought neck and neck, with Inui serving, so that they would not have to drink the horrible green thing. Kaidoh lost even if the rallies were not completed. In his haste to end the thing, his Snake hit outside the half court line on Kawamura's side. When he drank the juice, he seemed okay at first, calmly making his way out of the courts. Gradually, his pace increased as a hint of blue started appearing on his face. Not able to take it, he ran off all the way to the exit where he knocked over a half-filled ball cage.

Next were Oishi and Momoshiro, where the sophomore emerged as the victor. Oishi knocked over the water containers, jumbling it, and fainted on the ground.

"Oishi, hang in there!" Kikumaru yelled in concern, running to his friend's side.

The next match between Fuji and Tezuka only lasted one full rally, where the captain actually took things seriously. The ball rolled to the net on Fuji's side of the court and Fuji was all too glad to drink Inui's horrendously disgusting work.

"Saa, just now, you played seriously," Fuji said, his eyes open, revealing his cerulean eyes.

"Of course," Tezuka replied, no emotion whatsoever.

"It'd be funny if the captain had to drink that," Momoshiro whispered to Ryoma and Rai, shutting up when the person in question looked their way.

"Did you give up that quickly, Fuji?" Kikumaru asked, sitting next to Inui.

"Yes, but I also wanted to drink Inui's drink again," he replied. Inui held up a cup and poured the contents of a water bottle into it. Only when Inui poured the liquid into a glass, it was clear, not green. He checked the bottle's side and saw _**'Tezuka'**_ in big, bold yellow letters. Everyone looked at Tezuka, who was drinking from a bottle that was not his. Everyone turned pale as they watched Tezuka drink the atrocious Vegetable Juice.

"How did he do that?" Ryoma asked quietly.

"He must have some hard nerves…What a stomach!" Momoshiro exclaimed in awe.

"Unexpectedly, he seems okay," Rai mused as he watched it.

"Coming from someone who actually likes that stuff…" the junior's brow was raised. Rai gave him an intense gaze before shuffling off, the freshman muttering something like "…if she didn't have weird tastes…give me such a weird rep… hopeless…"

"What are you staring at? Next pair," Tezuka's voice boomed. From a certain angle, though, his clutch on the bottle seemed to have tightened.

Inui took offense at the apparent nonchalance. i_'I was meaning to save this for the Nationals but…'/i _He took out a new container of bubbling substance. "Listen up. From now on, anyone who doesn't make up to the expectations will drink the Special Golden Remix: Inui Vegetable Juice."

i_ 'I pity you Ryoma, if you have to drink that thing. And you too, since you don't really like the drink,'_/i Akari thought as she approached the wire fence. "Konnichiwa, sorry for the disturbance. My club moderator had a word with me."

Kikumaru almost jumped upon hearing the familiar stoic voice. "Nya! Aka-chan, you scared me!"

"Gomen," Akari said curtly.

"Go in," Fuji smiled. "We were just having the special training for Regulars. Since you have the permission, you can join in if you want." Akari nodded and went in.

"Can you really drink that?" Momoshiro asked when they had crowded around Inui to examine the new juice.

"Next, Yamato and…" Inui looked up at Akari. Her black track pants were a bit loose; same went for black jacket that was zipped up fully, only the collar of her lilac tennis shirt showing. "…Masato-san? Is it okay with you to get paired up with Yamato?"

"I-Inui, I don't think you should let Masato-san—" Once again, Oishi was cut off by Akari.

"Hai."

"If you were going to ask, she's also an All-Rounder, and yes, she knows how this Zone Practice works," Ryoma said, this time cutting off Inui. The Regulars were giving him strange looks.

"Right," Akari said, breaking the pause that followed. "Let's start, shall we?"

"Playing serious?" Rai asked, hitting the ball that Inui had served looking somewhat uncertain.

"Why ask a question which you know the answer to?" Akari shot back, stepping to the left and hitting a backhand. Rai let out an amused snort and returned the ball, using both hands when he found out that the ball had much weight. Akari stepped to the right, and hit the ball gracefully. "Shall we end this?"

"Your call," the freshman replied, ready to receive the lob she had just hit. He jumped and slowly raised his elbow, drew back his hand, and swung his hand forward with much force, his body bending forward for added force. The ball flew past the net, shaking it violently.

"Chibi-kun's using his moves against Aka-chan!" Kikumaru said, alarmed and amused at the same time.

"_**Shrapnel Smash? **_Don't think so!" Akari ran as close to the baseline as she dared and anticipated the ball's path. She dragged her red racquet across the ground and hit it even before the ball bounced.

"Moon Volley?!" came the surprised voices of the Regulars.

Smirking, Rai hit the ball back with his _**Avalanche **_which Akari – in most people's opinion – would not be able to reach, let alone return due to the tremendous weight it had. With a new glint in her eyes, Akari twisted her foot and suddenly disappeared, reappearing in front of the still airborne ball.

"We're both on offense here. Too bad, though. Hope you don't throw up!" Akari said happily and with much enthusiasm. (Looks like we have another resident sadist) She then jumped and returned the still above-ground ball with a sharp volley, her left hand on the backhand side of her body, pinpointing the ball to the place furthermost from Rai.

"Kikumaru Beam too?!" the person who originally used it exclaimed.

Mentally cursing, Rai ran, dove, reached for the ball, and made it – but barely, due to the fact that the ball was moving faster than the normal Kikumaru Beam. He then returned the ball with a reckless backhand.

Akari ran and jumped just before the baseline. Even before her feet touched the ground she raised her elbow and hit the ball back. Everyone gawked as the ball dropped and rolled to the net.

"Did she just…? Was that…?" Momoshiro looked from their captain to the female senior, unable to form comprehensive sentences. But he was not the only one.

"Good luck with that thing," Akari said dryly as she went out of the court with a terrified looking Rai.

"You didn't even sweat. Both of you, and Akari, you're wearing a jacket," Ryoma said, stating the obvious. "Don't worry. He likes that drink."

"I don't," Rai said abruptly. "Tolerance for the first time doesn't mean I like it."

"You said you did," Ryoma countered.

"Break," Akari said, breaking their line of vision with her outstretched hand. She then walked past them. "I think he likes it on some occasions but when he's sane, like now, he doesn't."

"Do I still need know what i_sane/i_ means?" Ryoma asked.

Akari's stoic mask broke and a sadistic grin made its way to her face. "The question is, do you i_want/i_ to know?"

The people backed away from her. Satisfied, she put her stoic mask back on and contented herself to watch Rai take the cup of bubbling golden liquid from Inui, reminiscing what she had seen just a few days ago.

"You should be the one drinking this," Rai said, looking at Akari. "You i_like/i_ this thing."

Akari shrugged and smirked. Just then, people noticed the similarity between her, Rai, and Ryoma, making them shudder. Rai ingested the thing in one swallow and ran out of the courts, his face a mixture of blue and green.

"The next match, Echizen versus Eiji."

"I'm not going to drink that…that juice!" Kikumaru fretted as they entered the courts.

"No need to be so reserved, senpai," Ryoma taunted, ever so cool.

Inui served the ball and they rallied. Kikumaru lobbed the ball in Inui and the ball basket's direction. Everyone watched closely as Ryoma ran to it and jumped, his hands outstretched. Contrary to what most people were expecting, he did not stumble on the two obstructions. Rather, he did a between-the-legs shot and ran to the net.

"I've always wanted to try that," Ryoma smirked.

"Who would have thought Echizen was the type to go for acrobatic play?" Momoshiro mused.

"Oops, I forgot to tell you. Anyone that uses half court and goes past the baseline will automatically need to defend the whole court," Inui announced just as Ryoma's foot went past the baseline.

Taking advantage of Ryoma's disposition, Kikumaru did his usual acrobatic net play, landing a cross court shot. He held up the victory sign.

"Yay! Victory! Victory! The five rallies are done! I win!" Ryoma still returned the ball and hit the distracted senpai's face. "Hey! It's done!" The redhead pointed to Ryoma. "Inui, give him as much vegetable juice or whatever as possible!"

Akari smirked. i_ 'Poor Ryoma…'_/i

Hesitantly, Ryoma took the glass Inui offered – well, put in front of him, actually. "Gyaaargh!"

Ryoma, Rai, Kaidoh, and Momoshiro were leaning against the sinks.

"Terrib…" Ryoma and Rai trailed off, and got sick again.

Finished drinking, Akari stood and fixed her stuff, as the others were doing.

"Sushi Bar?" Ryoma asked while holding a towel in her direction. She nodded and continued fixing her things. Once done, she helped Ryoma pick balls up. Instead of picking, she would drag her racquet around and shoot the gathered balls at the farthest point from the ball basket. Ryoma was doing the same.

"Nya Oishi." The Fukubuchou was startled when Kikumaru touched his shoulder. The redhead looked from him to the two freshmen and back again, grinning. "Do I smell something?"

"No way, what are you talking about?" Oishi continued to fix his things but risked a glance.

"Aha! I knew it!" the redhead said triumphantly.

"Would you keep your voice down, Eiji? She might hear you!" Oishi said frantically, pulling the hyper redhead down. "What was it that you wanted in the first place?"

Beaming, Kikumaru said, "Let's roam around, starting with the petshop."

"I wonder where they went," Oishi muttered under his breath.

Going home, the Regulars had been surprised to find two missing, a freshman regular and a mysterious female. Moments later, another freshman followed suit, slipping away without word. As Oishi and Kikumaru exited the pet shop, they saw two of the three in question, the earlier pair to slip away, going out of the sport equipment shop, carrying the other's tennis bag and some other paper bags. The younger pair had appeared not to take any notice of them and kept going in the direction – they assumed – of their house.

"Do you want to follow them?" the redhead asked. Hastily, but rather reluctantly, Oishi shook his head.

Akari smirked as Ryoma told her about his first training with the Regulars.

"Inui-senpai knew everyone's weaknesses from his observations," Ryoma said, uncharacteristically very open and talkative. "He said that Fuji-senpai and some others needed to work on their quadriceps."

"And did they know where that muscle group is?" Akari asked.

Ryoma shook his head. "No. But someone did. Another freshman, Yamato Rai. He pointed it out…and it was probably the first time others had heard him speak so far."

Akari nodded, a ghost of a smile playing at the corner of her lips. She knew full well what had happened, including the part when others had called Rai "Inui Jr."

"What's up with you and Masato-senpai?" Momoshiro asked as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Nothing," Ryoma answered plainly, getting out of the locker room, not bothering to hear the same question being fired at Rai. He already knew the other well enough to know that Rai would give the same answer.

"What about that date?" the Junior asked, a small smirk on his lips, his eyebrow arched suspiciously as he ran to catch up with the two freshmen.

"Saa…You were on a date?" Fuji asked as he popped up from behind the Junior. The rest of the Regulars quickly appeared and started to ask questions. "Saa…so the two of you are together?"

"This will make very interesting data," said Inui as he adjusted his glasses before scribbling in his notebook.

"So it's a Love Triangle then, nya!" Kikumaru said as he

"It's not," the two of them said in unison, earning looks from their senpai. Shrugging, they went out of the locker room, not even bothering to answer the same questions.

"Okay, gather," Ryuzaki announced to the club members. "The listings for the Prefectural Tournament have been decided already."

"Huh?" She looked around. "There seems to be fewer people here."

"Actually, it's because of Inui-senpai's juice," Horio said as he walked up their coach and whispered to her ear. He still managed to give off a smile.

"With added special ingredients," Inui said, holding out another cup of the golden liquid. "It's Special Golden Power Remix Inui Juice. It is the latest version. Would you like to try Sensei?"

The elder woman glanced at the cup in horror and took a small step back. "I'll pass."

"One hundred and eight schools have entered the Preliminaries," she announced, going back to the topic. She set up a long piece of paper on the billboard which displayed all of the schools participating. "Each and every one of them is strong. However, only five teams will make it to the Kantou Regional Tournament."

"So Fudomine will face Hyotei Gakuen before us, huh," Momoshiro stated, reading the sheet of paper.

"We'll be playing your brother's school, St. Rudolph, in the Best Eight Match, right Fuji?" Kikumaru asked.

"Aa," Fuji confirmed, nodding once.

"Okay. We have come to face these schools now. We're aiming for the championship, alright?" Ryuzaki said. "Let's do it!"

"Hai!"

"Practice continues." Tezuka took his spot next to the coach. "Next up is combination."

"Whoever doesn't want to do it, will have this waiting." Inui held up a cup of his juice, appearing behind the captain. Everyone quickly ran to the courts and started the combination drill before Inui could say more.


	10. There Are Just Some Days II

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**_Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Nine (Syuusuke) (10)_**

**_Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Nine (Syuusuke) (10)_**

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**A/N:** _text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Two Pillars of Seigaku and Other Adventures**

**(Am I making it sound too much of an episode in an RPG?)**

* * *

OoOoO

"What's he doing here?" Akari asked herself as she saw Tezuka coming from Ryuzaki Sumire's office one late Sunday afternoon. Her questions were answered not long after when the buchou confronted the two freshmen regulars.

"…Haruno University, 3 PM, three days from now."

"He's challenging Ryoma to a duel?" Hayato asked hours later. "I don't know whether to be excited or annoyed at his childishness."

"Rai too," Akari added. "And that's not so childish." Hayato raised his brow. Akari just smirked and said, "Try to see. You'll know soon enough that it's not childish. He just actually copied that from someone else."

When Hayato gave her an inquiring look, she added, "Just remember: Control."

* * *

Ryuzaki walked toward the practicing Regulars. "Echizen called in earlier sick."

The Regulars looked around. "Tezuka?"

"Sick."

"Yamato?"

"Sick."

"Oishi?"

"Sick."

"I sense some kind of conspiracy," Fuji commented.

"What conspiracy would involve tennis?" Kikumaru asked.

Akari, up on a high branch of a nearby tree, shook her head and began jumping down. _'You have absolutely no idea…'_

* * *

Akari watched their game. The buchou was going one-on-one with them, but almost the same things happened.

"Do you think you can defeat me, Echizen?" The question was repeated later with Rai. "Do you think you can defeat me, Yamato?"

Both inquiries received the same answer. "I'll do it if you say so."

Akari looked down at the anxious Oishi, and back at the players. She closed her eyes, knowing full well what the outcome would be. _ 'Right now Ryoma…You still can't beat him. Not yet. Develop your own style of tennis first.'_

She opened her eyes and watched as Tezuka talked to the freshmen half lying on the court.

_'But it's not impossible.'_

* * *

**Ryoma's Holiday (The final part of it anyway)**

* * *

It was a late Sunday afternoon when a jogging Akari saw Ryoma and Sakuno on a bridge. The former, in his usual cap, black shorts, and red and pink jacket over red-and-white tennis shirt, gave the latter a can on Ponta using the hand that did not hold his racquet.

_'They're both in pink…'_ Akari noticed. _'Does he ever wear different clothing?'_ Shrugging it off, the female Senior jogged to her intended destination – street tennis courts.

* * *

Rai was just outside the door of the racquet stringers'. He was listening, but not necessarily eavesdropping, and waiting for them to come out. Just below the sign of Harihatsu's Stringer Shop.

"Ryoma-kun." From the sound of it, the hazel-eyed freshman paused and stopped right in the middle of opening the door. Rai backed away a bit, going to the side opposite to where the two would be going. "Is it alright for you to play this easy tennis?"

"Why are you playing like a kid?" prompted the stringer further. Before opening the sliding door, Ryoma gave a curt answer, making Rai smirk.

"I _am_ a kid."

* * *

Rai almost sweatdropped when Sakuno fell.

"That's the form that got commented?" Ryoma asked, his voice monotonous.

"No! Of course not!" Sakuno said defensively. _'Ryoma-kun brought his racquet just for this…'_ The girl stood. "Please do it again, Ryoma-kun."

Rai smirked at the sight but was distracted by Nanjiroh's grumbling stomach.

"Hungry…"

Rai really sweatdropped this time.

* * *

**Where's My Cat? (Karupin's Adventure)**

* * *

Akari, already in her gakuran and toting a paper bag was wandering around when she passed the Fuji residence.

"The weather is good today, isn't it?" the middle child of the Fuji family commented as he tended the cacti on the desk near his window.

"Syuusuke, you have a postcard from France," came an older girl's voice.

Smiling, Akari continued to jog until she reached the Echizen residence. Akari looked at her wristwatch. _'If I actually run from here to Seigaku, instead of jogging again, I'll be able to make it.'_ With that, she jumped over the wall.

"Ohayo, Akarii-san," a blue-haired girl greeted when she saw open the door shouting _"Ryoma!" _"You missed Ryoma-san by minutes."

Akari almost pouted. _'Darn, I stopped at their house for too long'_ She shook her head and began looking for a furry white-and-brown ball of fluff that had yet to rub against her legs. Her forehead creased a bit. "Have you seen Karupin lately, Nanako-san?"

"I saw him just a while ago," she responded. "Ryoma-san was in too much of a haste to play with him after going down."

Akari nodded slowly. "I'm going to leave something for Ryoma in his room." Going up the stairs, she suddenly remembered that she had still not removed her outdoor shoes. "Sorry about the floor! And Nanako-san, Ryoma'd prefer a Japanese breakfast."

"I'll remember that next time," Nanako laughed.

"Karupin's toy isn't here," Akari muttered as she set her paper bag down in Ryoma's room. With much more haste than planned, Akari said a hurried goodbye and ran out. While running, she called someone using her silver cell.

Her cousin picked up. "You're calling because…?"

"Really-really-sorry-to-disturb-you-but-I-think-Karupin-followed-Ryoma-to-school," she said in one breath.

"Again?"

Akari could hear her cousin's classroom through the mouthpiece. She sighed. "Those two like each other too much."

"And she's jealous," Hayato jested.

"Am not!"

* * *

_'If I remember correctly, his first subject is English, Science, then recess and P.E. and…I don't remember the rest,'_ Akari thought to herself as she continued to gaze out the window. She blinked. She was sure she saw a familiar white-and-brown pattern amongst the never ending pink of sakura blossoms. Another blink.

_'I was right!'_ Akari thought frantically, sitting up on reflex. _'He _did _follow Ryoma to school!'_

"Is there a problem Masato?" class two's English teacher asked, going near her. All around the room, the students were looking at her, their test papers forgotten, curious at her sudden outburst. "Erm…You're done…"

"Sumimasen," Akari muttered and sat back down. When she looked back at the place where she had seen it, the cat was no more.

* * *

"Hey Eiji." In the classroom of 3-6, the Tensai's book was in front of him, blocking him from the teacher's view in front. To his right, Kikumaru was in the same position, hiding behind his upright book. Apparently, both had not been listening to the teacher. Fuji was looking out the window, smiling as usual, and the redhead cat was busy. The Tensai was leaning on his hand. "Have you ever seen a Himalayan Spotted Cat before?"

"Huh?" the redhead blinked and looked in the direction of his bestfriend.

"Next reader," the teacher announced, "Kikumaru Eiji."

Panicking, the redhead stood, his arms extended, book in hand, frantically trying to locate the poem.

"Read from page eighty-six, line six," Fuji whispered.

"Right on track."

* * *

In Class 3-1, the Tennis Club's buchou was beside his cowering teacher near the board. "Sensei."

"Wh-What is it, Tezuka-kun?" the teacher stammered, his square glasses almost falling from his nose.

"I believe you made a miscalculation on formula three."

* * *

"Momoshiro! Eating again?" the current teacher in 2-8 boomed. The junior immediately stood, and sure enough, his mouth was stuffed with food. "If you don't get a ninety on the next test, you're going to retake the whole thing."

"Unfair!" Momoshiro whined miserably as his classmates laughed.

* * *

An hour later, Rai was to be found near the Chemistry Lab 2, locking the door. He noticed that someone was using the Chemistry Lab 1, so he decided to take a look. Just then, Ryoma and Horio walked by and entered the lab. After little hesitation, Rai decided to follow.

"Inui-senpai, what're you doing here?" Horio asked, after having almost screamed in fright upon noticing the older black-haired guy who was already inside the room.

"I have some experiments I wanted to do during my break," he said, looking over at the freshmen. "Of course, I got permission from the teacher."

The inquisitive freshmen made their way over in time to see Inui drop a green liquid into a beaker of pale yellow fluid. The mixture immediately turned purple upon contact and started to bubble.

"Interesting color. What is it?" Horio asked.

"A prototype of my new vegetable juice. Want to try it?" When the Senior looked back at where the freshmen had been, all he saw was dust, and a wrenched open door.

* * *

"Let's eat lunch!" Horio said happily, holding up his bento.

The door slid open and in came Rai, holding a bento of his own. "Mind if I eat here?"

Ryoma shook his head absentmindedly. "So it was Karupin after all," he muttered quietly.

"Ryoma-sama!" a high-pitched voice screamed and the door slid open yet again. Rai looked over to see Tomoka waving a large sign saying, _"Winner of the District Tournament! I love Ryoma-sama!"_ Grinning madly, she said, "Ryoma-sama, I finished the banner!"

"Tomo-chan," Sakuno sighed from the doorway. She placed a large bento on the desk in front of Ryoma. Taking off the lid, she displayed five small cakes.

"Awesome, looks delicious," Horio said. "Wow, did you actually make this?"

"I-it's actually very easy. All I did was bake," Sakuno said with a light blush.

"Now, Ryoma-sama, eat this and do well on your match tomorrow," Tomoka said.

"I'll take one piece," Horio stated, reaching for the cakes.

"No you won't!" the fan girl yelled.

"Why not?" Horio, being Horio, whined.

"Because we brought it for Ryoma-sama," the fan stated.

"And for Rai-kun too," Sakuno added.

"Don't be such a cheapskate, it's just one piece," Horio persisted.

"Echizen!" The door slid open yet again and there stood Momoshiro. "Yamato's here too? Oh, you have some good stuff here!"

"I want some too," he said, running over, a mountain of food in his arms.

"Go ahead," Tomoka encouraged.

"What? But you gave me such a hard time," Horio whined again.

"He's been taking care of Ryoma-sama and Rai-sama so it's okay," Tomoka reasoned.

"Taking care?" the two nonchalant freshmen echoed.

"Mmmm, delicious!" Momoshiro was obviously enjoying his piece. "What's wrong Echizen?"

Ryoma walked past the junior, halted, went back and got one of the many packages. He then continued walking out the door behind Rai. "Momo-senpai, please give me this."

"Those kids really don't think of me as their senpai, do they?" Momoshiro sighed.

"Let me guess." The remaining occupants of the room looked up when they heard the sliding doors open – again. This time, standing in the doorway was Akari. "I missed him again."

Not bothering for any form of reply other than the lack of the person's presence, she shut the door again and resigned to eat with the class of 3-6, even though she was not scheduled to meet Nishida Kana then. Of course, nobody would know if the two kept quiet. It would be too out-of-character for Akari – at least, out of character from what she has shown so far.

* * *

"Nya! Aka-chan!" Almost immediately after she had opened the door, the hyper redhead engulfed Akari with one of his oh-so-famous suffocating hugs. "It's good Fujiko and I decided to have lunch here today!"

"Too tight," Akari said, just loud enough for Kikumaru to hear, but did not make any attempts to remove the hyper redhead. "Mind if I join you?"

Nishida Kana immediately went to their clustered desks. "Konnichiwa Akari-sama!"

Akari flinched at the choice of honorifics. "Can't you choose something other than '-sama'?" She looked up and found sapphire orbs staring into her bento. "Go get whatever you want."

Fuji chuckled beside her. "Saa, aren't you getting softer by the minute, Akari-san?"

"Soft?" Akari repeated in her usual monotonous voice. Her eyes, though, were a different story.

* * *

"Something you're worried about?" Rai asked Ryoma when they were in the locker rooms. Both had not changed yet and were sitting quietly and, in Ryoma's case, staring at the cat toy in his hands. "Say, something with a cat?"

Ryoma looked at the other freshman, startled. "How'd you know?" When Rai said nothing, Ryoma sighed. "My cat, Karupin, I think I saw him at school."

"Followed you?"

"No, he couldn't have. My house is quite a distance from here," Ryoma stated, shaking his head.

"I heard from some of the juniors that they saw a white raccoon on the roof a while ago during Lunch," he said hesitantly. _'When I got there, though, he was already gone.'_

"Hey, Echizen, Yamato, you're early!" Momoshiro greeted happily as he strode through the door. "What's with the long faces?"

The freshmen did a quick recap on the day's happenings and the junior confirmed the news Rai had said.

"I-I'll go check the roof," Ryoma said. He attempted to run off but was pulled back by the Junior.

"Hey, wait, that was during Lunch Break when they saw him, and he ran down the stairs and escaped," Momoshiro said, feeling a bit guilty.

"But he's around here somewhere," Ryoma said, looking up to his senpai.

"Here," Momoshiro said with a sigh, holding out a key. "You can borrow my bicycle. Go look on the streets from here to your house. Don't worry. We'll take care of practice. Cats are better at finding their way around than people, you know."

Ryoma thought for a moment, received a nod from Rai, and took the key. "Momo-senpai, I will definitely return the favor. I'll be back soon."

After a moment of silence, Rai said, "Who told you I'd be staying?"

"Eh?" The junior looked at him incredulously. "Why?"

The freshman stood and started for the door. "I'll return the favor, senpai." With that, he was out.

* * *

Akari had been searching frantically within the past forty-five minutes, but had seen no trace of Karupin. She sighed and leaned against a wall. Her cellphone suddenly vibrated and she read the text message.

Tennis training done. Early dismissal. Meet you at sports shop. Note: Rai was not in practice. Ryoma too, but I guess you knew those beforehand.

It was almost immediately followed by another text message.

Momo-senpai bringing Karupin. Kaidoh-senpai had been playing with him. Ryoma and Rai coincidentally left both their bags and…Do you know whose address is written on Rai's tag?

With a sigh of relief, Akari started walking to the sports shop not far away. The final turn gave her a view of Kikumaru jumping up and down, asking Oishi to lend him eighty yen.

"Konnichiwa, Masato-san," Oishi greeted when he saw her. Kawamura, Ryoma, Rai, and Kaidoh were the only ones not present in their group. As Hayato had said, Karupin was safely tucked in Momoshiro's uniform. She nodded and directly went to pat Karupin's head.

"You know, you remind me of my classmate back in elementary," Momoshiro said as he examined Akari's face. "But she acts the exact opposite of the way you do. She's a giggling, wild, sporty prankster who dislikes subjects because they're so boring."

"Really? That would make a really nice picture," KIkumaru said, grinning. "Her doing the same kind of pranks Momo would."

"What was her name?" Inui asked, trusty notebook in hand.

"Tezuka Atsuki."

There was silence then Kikumaru broke it by repeating, "_Tezuka_?"

The regulars looked at the buchou's impassive face.

"If I remember correctly, Atsuki was the name of your year-younger cousin," Inui read from his notebook. "Correct?"

"I thought that was just coincidence, the last names," Momoshiro mused "You don't seem to have any similarities with her buchou. I mean, she was just wild! Where is she?"

Tezuka shook his head, signaling the end of the discussion.

"Oh well, I thought I'd be able to see her again. It would be nice to pull of pranks with that person," Momoshiro said with a sigh, oblivious to his buchou's plunging spirits.

* * *

"Yo," Momoshiro greeted as Ryoma opened his door. Ryoma looked at his remaining senpais and slid the door closed – like what he did at the sushi place. Wrenching the door open, Momoshiro said, "Hey Echizen!"

"I believe you were looking for him," Oishi said as he handed Karupin over to the stoic-faced freshman.

"Thanks," he said, a small smile forming on his lips.

"This is from Ryuzaki-sensei," Tezuka said, handing Ryoma a piece of paper.

"Sorry," Ryoma muttered and took it.

"I'll leave your bag here," Oishi stated, laying a bag next to Ryoma's porch.

"See you tomorrow," Kikumaru grinned as they left.

"As I said, I'll return the favor," Ryoma said, turning to Momoshiro. The junior raised his brow. "There's a tennis court out back. Get ready to be beaten."

"Oi, Ryoma, why were you so worked up about your cat?" Momoshiro asked as they played. "I mean, it _is_ expensive and all, but you became sentimental for some reason."

Ryoma was silent for a while as he kept hitting the ball back. After some time, he decided to answer. "The former owner gave it to the previous owner who gave it to me. Let's just say that they trusted me enough to give it to me. It means a lot."

* * *

"Big house," Inui commented as they looked at the looming house of Rai.

"_House?!_" Kikumaru repeated. "This isn't a house! It's a _mansion_!!"

They buzzed the intercom and conversed with someone they did not recognize. Moments later, the gates opened, revealing Rai standing beside a rather old man in a suit.

"Extend my congratulations to your relative," Oishi said, handing Rai his bag.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Akari popped out from behind him. "What was that about?"

Rai shrugged. "I have no idea what Momo-senpai told them." Shaking her head, Akari headed out for her usual jog.

* * *

Fuji Syuusuke was looking up at the starry sky as he leaned on the window, tending his cacti.

"Syuusuke, do you want to have a tarot reading session?" Akari heard Yumiko ask.

"Oneechan, your tarot reading skills are so good, it's scary," Fuji commented but went anyway.

Akari stood there, looking at the spot where Fuji had been. She smiled before heading back home. Later, before she went to sleep, Akari smiled, thinking how Ryoma would sleep with Karupin by his side.

She got a nudge and lifted her blanket. An enormous black-and-silver canine was looking at her with its icy blue orbs, seemingly telling her that he was there too.

* * *


	11. The Start of the Prefecturals

Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Eleven (Syuusuke) (11)

**Neverending Promise: (Fuji) Chapter Eleven (Syuusuke) (11)**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Prefecturals**

* * *

"Morning," Hayato greeted casually when Akari went down the stairs. Seeing her appearance, he asked, "Are you going to the Prefecturals?"

Akari put the bag down and sighed. "I have to do some things so I might be late."

"I want to play," Hayato declared, earning a smile from the older one.

"You are one great blessing from heaven," she grinned. Standing in front of a mirror, she put on the last detail of her outfit – contacts. "What do you think?"

He scrutinized his cousin and decided that it was the clothes she wore that made her look older. She looked twenty-something, and her eye and hair color were not their natural hue that time – her hair barely reached her chin.

"New member?"

Akari nodded and put on dangling earrings for added effect before going out.

* * *

……

"He's late. What's the Ryoma doing?" Ryuzaki muttered, looking nervously at her watch.

"If we don't register with nine people by ten A.M. then we'll be disqualified," Fuji stated.

"What about Oishi?" Tezuka asked. "Did he manage to contact Echizen?"

"Doesn't seem like it," the hyper redhead replied.

"He had to pick today to be late," Momoshiro sighed.

"What is this? A pre-game meeting?" Innoue asked. "If you don't register soon, you'll be disqualified."

"Innoue-san, Ryoma hasn't come yet," Katsuo said in a worried tone.

"As expected from Ryoma-sama, to be late for the Prefectural Tournament. He's so funny!" Everyone turned to stare at the proud laughing fangirl. When she noticed this, she stopped, slowly.

"Hey everyone, I just contacted Echizen," Oishi said, running up to the team. "Seems like he helped a pregnant woman who was in labor, to get to the hospital."

Everyone was quiet. Momoshiro broke it by saying, "That's a lie, right?"

"One hundred percent lie," Kaidoh muttered, earning the approval of the Freshmen Trio.

"If we wait for him, we will not make the deadline," Ryuzaki said. "He'll get his scolding later; anyway, we have to register somehow."

* * *

……

"You're in your school uniform. Going home already?" Ryoma taunted.

_'I think I'm late,'_ Akari thought when she got there. Immediately she spotted Mizuki Hajime, manager of St. Rudolph Gakuen, and Ryoma. After their little encounter, she decided to follow Ryoma from a distance and did not regret doing so.

"A week's worth of juice ought to do it," Ryoma said, making the five freshmen look at him. Rai, as it turned out, was not there.

"Three days!" the know-it-all Horio declared. "It's your fault you were late!"

_ 'Ryoma is getting that habit of mine. But…'_ The hidden female senior shook her head with a sigh. _' He is __**such**__ a pushover to girls…'_

……

* * *

"Echizen!"

The whole team turned and Tezuka immediately scolded the tardy player. "You're late. What were you doing?"

"Just warming up," came the cryptic response.

"What warming up, you brat?" Momoshiro asked, giving Ryoma a noogie.

"Hey, that hurts Momo-senpai!"

"Ryoma, you're up next," Ryuzaki said, pointing to the court that Kaidoh had just walked out of, having won his game 6-0.

"Hai."

"Game and match. Seigaku's Echizen. 6-0."

"Ryoma-kun's match is over already?" asked a disappointed female voice behind Rai. He looked and saw Shiba running with Innoue.

"Yes! It was a perfect game," said the fangirl proudly. Rai resisted the urge to sigh and roll his eyes. Instead, he just turned back to the court.

"What? And I bought a new video camera too," Shiba said sadly.

"We came at a good time," Innoue corrected. "Be sure to tape this properly. You haven't seen it yet."

"What is it?"

"The last player from Seigaku Singles 1, Tezuka Kunimitsu."

"One set match. Seigaku's Tezuka to serve."

Tezuka looked at his opponent momentarily before clutching the ball in his hand and throwing it in the air. Tezuka served, sending the yellow sphere flying over the net. The ball landed with precision in the corner of the service box. His opponent had not even moved, as if Tezuka had not yet served.

"S-Sugoi," Horio stuttered.

"He starts with an ace," Kachiro said with awe, clutching the wire fencing.

"And with much speed," Katsuo added.

"Yes, nice serve!" Oishi encouraged as Tezuk served yet another ace.

"30-0."

"It looks like Tezuka-buchou's match is going to be over quickly," Ryoma commented beside Rai, who nodded in agreement.

"Wow! Is this Tezuka-buchou's real strength?" Sakuno asked amazed.

"Mada mada daiyo," (Not at all) the two freshmen said simultaneously. Everyone looked at them. "The captain's real strength is nothing like this."

"Right now, it's just warm up exercises," Rai said.

"There are only a few opponents that will make Tezuka go all out," Fuji agreed and turned back to the court.

"Right now I can't be careless," Tezuka stated.

From where he was, Rai could not agree more.


	12. Akari at the Prefecturals

Neverending Promise (12)

**Neverending Promise (12)**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Akari at the Prefecurals**

* * *

……

"There are only a few opponents that will make Tezuka go all out," Fuji agreed and turned back to the court.

"Right now I can't be careless," Tezuka stated.

From where he was, Rai could not agree more.

* * *

……

i _'Akiyama Third is performing better…They're targeting the Seigaku Regulars' weak spots…'/i_ Akari looked at the feminine-looking manager of St. Rudolph. i_ 'The things he does to collect data…'/i_

Whether or not their weak spots were known, Seigaku exited the courts victorious.

"Kai," Ryoma called when he saw a cap similar to his, only instead of 'R', she had an 'A'. Akari looked up from a notebook where she was writing something.

"Masato-san, you're here," Oishi said, sounding surprised.

"Homework?" Ryoma asked. The female senior shook her head. "Project?"

Akari ran her hand through her hair, letting her bangs slide through her fingers. "Going."

"If I remember correctly, girls are having their prelims at the other side." Akari looked at Ryuzaki. "Why don't we extend the lunch break so we can watch?"

Akari ran her hand through her hair again. This time, ti parted in the middle and stayed there. Honestly, she looked more elegant like that than when her hair was parted to the side, which made her look pretty…emo. **(I have nothing against emo people okay?)** Oishi was not the only one who noticed.

Seeing the others' reaction, the two freshmen smirked. "If you don't intend to make your opponent's court run with drool, I suggest you do your hair such as when you try to run away from fanboys."

Akari got out a violet comb, ran one end through her hair and parted it as Ryoma had said. His smirk widened when he saw her shudder.

* * *

……

_Her game was over in three minutes flat._

Akari exited the court and gave the Regulars a familiar semi-inquiring look – semi because it was the only expression that she allowed to get past her stoic mask.

"The game was unusually…quick," Inui noted.

Akari looked at Ryoma. "I'm starving."

Ryoma's head acquired several sweatdrops. "Just when was the last time you ate a meal on time?"

"A while ago."

"Before that?"

"Four days."

"Hey, that hurt," she said without much emotion. She was rubbing the back part of her head that the two freshmen had hit simultaneously. The others, Tezuka specifically, were surprised at the freshmen's sudden change in character. Akari tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, exposing her earrings. She pulled her cap down and muffled a yawn.

"Doesn't Echizen always do that?" Horio whispered to Kachiro.

……

Akari was lying down on the roof, watching a pissed off Yuuta, Mizuki and Yanagisawa. Her bag was with Ryoma on the ground. She really disliked the way Mizuki took advantage of Yuuta's spite toward his brother.

i_ 'Too bad Rai won't be able to humiliate him…'/i_ Akari sighed softly, got down and went to the Seigaku boys, trying to analyze the situation and predicting the lineup against St. Rudolph. i _'But I guess we can't do anything about it. The lineup will probably be…Mizuki will play Fuji in Singles 2, while Ryoma and Yuuta are in Singles 3. Who's Shuka Gatira? He's in Singles 4 with Rai…'/i_

"Hey. Where'd you take your catnap?" Ryoma asked when Akari came to get her bag.

"Too hot." Akari pulled down the zipper of her jacket for emphasis. Even when she had played, she had not removed her pants and jacket.

"Aren't you late?"

A single glance at her watch. "Not yet. Try to catch your game if I can. Still can't believe I agreed to be on-the-spot substitute."

"Can you talk in complete sentences?" Ryoma pulled down Akari's cap over her eyes before ushering her away.

* * *

…**…**

"Awesome!"

"What's going on with Fudomine?"

The Seigaku team made their way over to the courts to watch. They watched Kamio materialize suddenly at the net, performing a volley and sent the ball directly behind his net player opponent.

"40-0."

"He's faster since last time," Rai commented nonchalantly, sipping some Ponta.

"And he's gotten a lot more stamina." Inui suddenly appeared beside him, and the freshman only managed to refrain himself from jumping in fright. Taking interest in the freshman's reaction but dismissing it for later input in his notebook, he continued, "Fudomine's opponents are already out of breath."

"I'm not even into the rhythm yet!" Kamio bragged. "Shinji, let's finish this one off with your Kick Serve."

"It's so humid today," the said partner muttered. "It's hot." He threw the ball up. "Let's end this quickly." His racquet came into contact with the ball, sending it soaring over the net and into the service box. The ball bounced once before directly going for the opponent's face.

"Game and Match, Fudomine 6-0."

"Wow, they're strong…" came through the cheers of the onlookers.

"You've got to be kidding me," yelled another. Smirks grew on the Fudomine players' faces with his next comment. "They're an unknown team!"

"All the good tennis players have arrived," chuckled Momoshiro.

"I can't believe that we lost to an unknown team like you," one of the members of the opposing team hissed.

"But they've got to play the number one seed, Hyotei Gakuen, next," said another. "They're going to lose for sure!" They both laughed.

"Is that all you have to say?" The two arrogant boys leapt backwards at the sound of Tachibana's voice. "We look forward to beating teams like that." His face was graced with a smirkish-smile. "Let's go." And his team exited the courts.

"Let's go," Tezuka told his team and they followed. The two freshmen of their team were lagging behind the rest.

"Hmm?" Ryoma looked up. Rai followed his gaze and saw an older guy with bright range hair, sitting on one of the shelter roofs.

He saw the two of them and jumped off, landing nimbly on his feet. "Hey, thanks for last time. You just left me there." He pointed to his forehead, but his cheerful attitude remained. "I see you two are Seigaku's exceptional rookies."

"Hey, you're Shiritsu Yamabuki Chūgakkō's Sengoku!" Momoshiro said, realizing the freshmen had stopped following them and seeing the current scene. "You were chosen as one of the top players among Junior High students." Bending to whisper, he added, "Eh, Echizen, Yamato, do you know this guy?"

"No," Ryoma answered. "This is the first time we've met him."

Sengoku pouted. "Hey, hey!"

"The only reason I was chosen was because your captain, Tezuka, quit and there was an opening," Sengoku stated, scratching the back of his head. "Besides that, Fudo Third Junior seems to be a powerful underdog."

"It's not Fudo Third, it's Fudomine," Momoshiro corrected.

"What's up, Seigaku? Are you here too?" They all looked and found Kamio and Ibu from the said school approaching them.

"It's Hyotei next," commented the Seigaku Junior.

"Yeah," Kamioi smirked. "I need to thank that Atobe guy from last time."

Momoshiro nodded. "Don't just do this to pay him back."

"Hey, Echizen-kun," Shinji striked up a conversation with the freshman. "How's the new tape you got?"

"It's good," Ryoma replied in his usual tone.

"Really? I'm jealous. I really wanted that, but there was only one left…" Rai sweatdropped as he continued muttering to himself.

"We'll meet you in the finals," Kamio announced. "We still owe you one." He smirked. "I wouldn't mind playing Kaidoh again. But the next time we play, it'll be different from before."

"Okay," Momoshiro shrugged. "But don't put too much hope on winning. We still plan on taking the championship. Even if that baka Kaidoh loses."

"Psshhh…" The object of discussion turned back and glared at the last person to speak, causing the rest of the Regulars to form around them. "And so what if who loses?" He placed his hands inside his pockets while he and Momoshiro continued their glare wars. "Which idiot is going to lose?" The last statement became louder, each word soaking with…erm, venom…

"Weren't you listening?" Momoshiro smirked and closed his eyes. "I am talking about the idiot in front of my face."

"What?!" Kaidoh snarled. They continued their glaring match, totally ignoring Oishi's desperate attempts to calm them down. Amused, the two freshmen continued to watch their senpai.

"Come on you guys, let's head out." Tachibana appeared behind them and took his two players away. Looking straight at Ryoma, "Can you pass this message on to Tezuka? Even though this may be a fierce battlefield, let's meet again in the Finals." He smirked before turning and walking off.

"Did you hear what he said, senpai-tachi?" Rai turned to his two senpai who were still at it. "They said to meet at the Finals and we aren't exactly going there if the two of you won't quit trying to slit the other's throat out."

"You _do_ realize that they aren't listening, right?" Ryoma muttered to him. The former glared at him, muttered a quick "Che" before starking off.

* * *

……

"Saa…As expected, Kantou Region Tournament's usual participant has won," Fuji commented as he leaned against the post under one of the shelters. Tezuka sat next to him on one of the benches while drinking. The two freshmen were there too, sitting under the hut's shade and fully aware of the wild cheering originating from the courts where Hyotei's match was being held. "Just once I'd like to play in the middle of a cheering crowd like that." Fuji sighed, but his mouth was still curled up.

"Seigaku Regulars, gather around!" Ryuzaki's fierce voice was heard throughout. The people walked over and listened. "Okay, we're playing St. Rudolph in the quarterfinals." She held up a sheet of paper. "This is the lineup. Remember, if we win this, we get ourselves a ticket to the Kantou Tournament. Singles One, Tezuka. Singles Two, Fuji. Singles Three, Echizen. Singles Four, Yamato. Doubles One, Kikumaru and Oishi. Doubles Two, Kaidoh and Momoshiro."

"St. Rudolph Gakuen is gathering all of the famous players in this region," Inui read out of his notebook. "They are a lot better than they were last year. Akaza-buchou, who plays Singles One, is still around. He is a strong opponent who beat our Regular senpai last year. I'm also worried about Yuuta-kun, Fuji's little brother. He has been thoroughly trained to attack left-handed player. He may prove to be a very difficult opponent, he is Fuji's little brother after all." The statement caused Fuji's grin to became slightly more of a smirk. "It looks like their new manager is controlling them as well."

"Manager?"

"Aa. He's a member of the Reinforcement Group, a pretty tough opponent. The Reinforcement Group goes to school everyday but they are so strong that they only go to practice once or twice a week."

"Wow, they're very serious about it," Oishi commented.

"Well, that's not a club," Kikumaru pointed out.

"Don't make a mistake now," Kaidoh hissed.

"What did you say?!" Momoshiro snapped, glaring at each other before turning their heads forcefully into opposite directions.

Ryuzaki sighed. "Somehow, I feel like we made a mistake."

* * *

……

**A/N: If you noticed, the 'Fuji Syuusuke' part of the title has been removed. Well…I kinda forgot the plot for it (-.-;;;) and sooo…well you get it. I'll be trying to recover it, but I doubt it'll still be a Fuji fic. Umm…pairing for the (two) sequels are already decided. Yeah, two sequels. I'm writing them now so that they don't turn out this way that when the computer crashes, all files are lost. (Cough) Anyway (Cough) I think I won't be able to post often. School starts/started (depending on when I'm posting this) June 4. So sorry…Also, you'll be noticing several stupid and incoherent oneshots. You're not really obliged to read them but if you do, I think you'll be able to understand some of the statements in the (future) fics better. Anyway, thanks for the time. Arigatou gozaimasu!**


	13. Doubles One Disaster

Neverending Promise(13)

**Neverending Promise(13)**

**Chapter Thirteen: Doubles One Disaster **

Akari combed through her hair with her hand, watching Kisarazu do a forced lob. As she had been in their match against Fudomine, she was not with the team. Doubles Two had been going on for quite some time already. Currently, Fuji was explaining the situation to the less knowledgeable Ichinen Trio. _'The lob has a slice rotation…It hangs in the air and moves with the wind…It's hard to hit a dunk smash off that…A challenge for your senpai…'_

"But, look, he's going for it, nya!"

Momoshiro jumped up and smacked it right down to Yanagisawa. He looked ready – until the smash changed course, and bounced up to his face.

A somewhat sadistic smirk was on the usually placid face of the female Senior as she watched Yanagisawa writhing in pain on the ground. The umpire checked and shook his head.

"**Saint Rudolph forfeits! Seigaku wins!"**

"What? Momo and Kaidoh won?? For _once_?? Nyahahahaha…" Kikumaru was jumping up and down as he laughed.

Momoshiro shrieked, "WHAT?! I'M NOT DONE GOING CRAZY!" just as Kaidoh hissed, "WAKE UP THAT STUPID DUCK!!"

"Anger management," Rai and Akari muttered in amusement. "The winners sure look pissed off…" Inui grinned, Tezuka shook his head hopelessly and Fuji laughed.

"Ryoma against Yuuta-kun next…" Deciding to watch the game at a nearer view, she went and stayed beside a certain hyperactive redhead.

"Nya! Akari-chan is here!" the childish Senior cheered, earning him stares from some of the people. But it did the trick. Ryoma, already making his way to the court, looked back and caught the female Senior's eye. He smirked and went on.

"About time," Kikumaru said and continued chatting on as if just a while ago he did not lack the energy to even stand. She just nodded at random intervals and kept an expression that reminded one of a certain buchou and some freshmen.

"Lefty Killer and our awesome Chibi Lefty…This will be a match to look forward to," Kikumaru stated happily.

"**One Set Match! Saint Rudolph to serve!"**

"I heard he overwhelmed Saeki from Chiba in a practice game," Oishi mumbled.

Akari's eyebrow quirked ever-so-slightly with Rai's at the statement. "From Rokkaku?" Oishi nodded.

"Nani??" The Ichinen Trio whined, hearing the news.

"'_Little Fuji's' _record against left-handers is sixteen consecutive wins." Inui's glasses glinted. "That's why they call him the _'Lefty Killer'_."

"Why's he so good against lefties?"

"Southpaws put the opposite curve and spin on their ball from right-handed players. Opponents get flustered." The Ichinen Trio looked up at Akari when she spoke. "He's played too many practice games against left-handed players, or so I've heard."

"But what about Ryoma-kun?"

"He's being pushed," she simply stated. A few others nodded with her as she watched Ryoma struggle to get the yellow sphere over the net.

"Nani?!" Katsuo exclaimed. "Don't tell me Ryoma-kun can't handle another lefty!"

"That's clearly not it," Inui commented.

"It's Yuuta's Super Rising Shot," Fuji smiled. "It's getting much better."

"IT'S NOT THE TIME TO BE LAUGHING, SENPAI! And what _is_ Super Rising?"

"Hitting the ball before it reaches the top of its bounce. It comes back quicker than usual, so opponents don't have the chance to position themselves." This time, Inui continued where Akari left off. "As a result, you can dictate the pace of points. That's what Super Rising is."

'**Game, Saint Rudolph. 1-0."**

"Ehhh?? Ryoma-kun lost his first game?!" Kachiro exclaimed. "That's not good!"

"Ugh. Against a lefty who can hit Super Rising…" Horio's face had a pained expression.

"It's only the beginning so don't be so tense." The people were startled by the amused sadistic look on the otherwise impassive face of the female Senior. "A lot can happen in a match as it progresses. You never know, there are some players who deliberately give up the first few games for the sake of observation."

"What's not to be tense about?" one of them asked skeptically.

"Results might end up surprising everyone," Rai answered for her. "Normally, if you know the players capabilities, you won't need to worry."

"Actually," Akari interjected, "now that you mention it, _they_ do have reasons to be tense."

Rai smirked. "You're freaking them out, do you know that?"

"Yes."

The Ichinen Trio, with small black dots for eyes, inched away from the two.

……

"A left-handed _**Twist Serve**_? How does that work? He usually hits with his right…"

"Think about it!" Katsuo, apparently already figuring it out, said. "The Twist Serve puts the opposite spin on the ball so it rebounds towards the opponent's face. Against the usual right-handed player, he hits it with his right – the only way it'll be effective! But if the opponent is left-handed too…"

"…Of course, he'll have to use his left hand!" Kachiro finished. "Maybe he'll be able to pull of a point!"

"There it is! The _**Twist Serve!**_"

It won't work, Akari knew. For one, Mizuki was smirking, not the least bit worried. Another was that they probably had a counter for that already. She shifted her gaze from the girly-looking manager to the ball – which was on Ryoma's side of the court.

"0-15!"

Oishi looked very surprised. Inui's face did not betray any hint of expression, but his glasses were glinting once again. Fuji, on the other hand, was pleasantly shocked. "Well Yuuta, I didn't know you'd come this far…The Twist is nothing if you can hit it right off the ground…He's gone way beyond his old level. That was a brilliant Super Rising Shot!"

"The way he hits an early and fast return…It's almost as if the hit and return happen at the same time," Kikumaru remarked. "There is no way O-Chibi can move up under this situation…Scary."

"No," Akari shook her head, making the rest look at her. "For Ryoma, there is no other direction to move but up."

Ryoma dashed to the net as soon as he hit the serve and returned the Rising Shot with a smash.

"15-15."

Kikumaru's jaw slacked. "…N…ya…That was…fast!"

'_He's faster than before,'_ two particular people mused.

"Oi." Ryoma pointed his racket to the younger Fuji. "Is that all you can do? I've played better lefties before."

……

"Na…" Momoshiro pointed to the court occupied by the Saint Rudolph player. "Yuuta's much more confident than before." For the first time, Kaidoh nodded and hissed in agreement.

The freshmen gasped. "Ehh? Fuji-senpai's brother used to go to Seigaku?"

Akari listened quietly as Inui explained how Yuuta hated being compared to his brother, the Tensai. The expression on her face softened for a second before going back to its usual state. Rai looked at her and smirked.

'_Reminds you of yourself, doesn't he?'_

She looked at the freshman and gave him a look that clearly said _'Shut it'._

Tezuka pointed to the topic of discussion, interrupting the mock, silent glare wars of the Senior and the freshman. "Look."

The ball flew over the net to Ryoma. It spun on the ground and shot right up, getting stuck in one of the slots of the wire fence separating the court from the audience.

Eyes burning with malice and anger, Akari looked at the smug manager. Beside her, Fuji's mouth had slackened and his eyes also had the same look.

"W-What is that?" Kacihiro stammered. "It's a return…with a strong spin, like the Twist!"

"It's the Twist Spin Shot," Rai growled. "That moronic, inconsiderate, aho…"(1)

Everyone gawked at the freshman, save for Fuji who was still looking extremely angry and was concentrating on his brother's game. Someone seriously needed to wash their mouth.

"So that's a Twist Spin Shot," Ryoma looked surprised but smirked.

After that, he seemed to be under more pressure. He tried backing up, but couldn't reach it due to the almost vertical bounce of the ball. The Ichinen Trio looked anxious, Fuji had the most serious expression on his face (giving Rai a feeling that he's up to something) and Akari looked as if she was waiting for something.

"**Game to Saint Rudolph's Fuji, 3-1."**

Mizuki was mumbling something to himself that Akari did not want to know, lest it aggravate her to the point of not being able to resist the urge to punch out his lights. What she wanted to see, as well as everybody else, was Ryoma coming up with the most brilliant counter. The only difference was that she knew it would happen, and soon.

"Twist Spin Shot! It's coming!"

But this time, instead of backing up, the prodigy freshman was running forward.

"What is he thinking?" Inui rearranged his glasses. "Is he trying to use Super Rising on Yuuta-kun? If his timing is even a tiny bit off, it'll hit his face."

The ball flew out of control and crashed into the fence.

"Out!"

"If the racket's angle is a little off, it flies out," Rai mused.

"Nya…What's O-Chibi going to do now?"

"It's coming again! Twist Spin Shot! And he's charging forward again!!"

"He's being way too stubborn…Huh? What happened?"

Akari watched and smirked as the ball slammed at Yuuta's feet. And although the shot was still out, Ryoma smirked, landing calmly on his feet. "Hmph. It's not easy. I have to angle to ball precisely or it goes out. But I'm getting the hang of it. Oh, and you know that Twist thing? Don't use it too often."

**I think I picked up somewhere that 'aho' is a term that, in the Kantou region, acts as a really offensive insult, whereas they take 'baka' as a joke sometimes. And in the Kansai region, take 'aho' as a joke and 'baka' as an insult.**


	14. Singles One and Two

**_Neverending Promise: Chapter 14_**

* * *

**text **- foreign language

_text _- thoughts

text - written words

_**text**_ - techniques

**Note:** Use of special fonts (or whatever) may vary depending on the situation...But BASICALLY (sorry, couldn't resist a private joke...those who know what this is about...(grin)...have a hearty laugh) that's how it works...

**Anyone still confused with the three OCs? Actually, they're not only three...But when you find the characters confusing, just tell me so I can clarify. Thanks so much and review please!.**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: Due to some difficulties (our computer getting infested with goodness-knows-what virus, resulting to loss of ALL the files; the _"Madulaang Sabayang Pagbigkas" _that we all practice for, etc.) I have not been able to post as often as I had before. This is just to serve as a warning of sorts. I won't be posting a lot, unfortunately, because of the abovementioned reasons. Sorry for everyone that's reading this...But I assure you, I'll continue this fic...You can ask my classmates; I write the story in school :)**

**Thank you so much for reading this far, and I hope you will continue to shower me with reviews, supports, cookies, etc.**

**...**

**(Deep sigh) okay, so now that's done, let's get wild!**

* * *

**Neverending Promise: Chapter 14**

**Part One: Singles Three and Two**

* * *

**--**

"_**It's coming again! Twist Spin Shot! And he's charging forward again!!"**_

"_**He's being way too stubborn…Huh? What happened?"**_

_**Akari watched and smirked as the ball slammed at Yuuta's feet. And although the shot was still out, Ryoma smirked, landing calmly on his feet. "Hmph. It's not easy. I have to angle to ball precisely or it goes out. But I'm getting the hang of it. Oh, and you know that Twist thing? Don't use it too often."**_

* * *

--

Both Mizuki and Yuuta had astonished looks on their faces. The latter obviously thought it was a coincidence because he tried the Twist Spin Shot again, but then, Ryoma ran nonstop and as he was about to run past the hop point, he disappeared and slid underneath.

"Mada mada dane."

He jumped and swung his racquet – hard.

"Noooo!! He's swinging too hard!" Kachiro panicked, "It's going to be out!"

"No. Look!" Oishi pointed to the ball, smiling. The yellow sphere bounced over Yuuta, landed on the line and walloped towards the fence, giving the spectators an illusion of the letter "B" in its wake.

The freshman smirked. "Drive B."

"Nice one." Inui analyzed quickly and scribbled in his notebook with Ryoma's data.

"Using the momentum of his slide and jump, adding the spin…" Akari smirked. "…He could return any low-dipping ball with that."

With his new move, Ryoma easily won the set. Two people were reveling at the dark expression on the manager's face. Underestimating one whose range of growth is unlimited has its consequences.

"NICELY DONE, NYA, O-CHIBI!!" The corners of Akari's lips curled up as she watched Kikumaru and Momoshiro strangle the victor with their death hugs.

The wind blew gently, ruffling her hair, and she felt the temperature drop. No, not the wind. Beside her, Fuji's eyes were wide open, an icy glare directed to Mizuki. He grabbed his racquet and unzipped his jacket.

"Tezuka, I know you want to plya." He strode over the court past the buchou. "But this time, there's no way you're getting on the court."

_This time…?_

Akari shook her head, amused, while Kikumaru was being his usual cute pondering self. "Nya? What's with Fujiko? He looks serious."

"I'm going for a drink. Want anything?" she asked the two freshmen. The reply was an instant and simultaneous, "Ponta."

* * *

--

She walked to the vending machines and got an apple-flavored Ponta for herself and other flavors for the freshmen. Sipping contently, she made her way back. Seeing a group of bluish-gray and white jackets, she froze. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…_Wait._ She remembered getting a glimpse of the one with long brown hair at the courts where Fudomine and Hyotei were playing so why were there…?

The one she was looking at turned, and Akari had to shuffle behind a wall to prevent being seen. He was obviously older than the rest of the Hyotei people there, probably already in senior high school, his violet eyes and a mess of black hair over a face that showed maturity and experience. Frowning, he told his companions to continue.

'_Close,'_ Akari thought. _'Too close…Wait, why am I hiding? Stupidity rules again…'_ Shaking her head, she went back, assured that she would see the slaughter of St. Rudolph's Mizuki Hajime.

* * *

--

The scoreboard showed a sweep. 5-0. The only problem was that the scores seemed to be inverted. Seigaku's Tensai was losing five games to LOVE. The Three Freshmen looked as if they were facing a calamity. Oishi, Kikumaru, Momoshiro, and Kawamura were nervous. Kaidoh had a vein growing steadily on his head. Inui had a blank expression on his face that made it impossible to interpret what he was actually thinking. Tezuka was leaning on a tree saying absolutely nothing with absolutely no expression at all. Akari, Rai, and Ryoma…were sipping a can of Ponta each.

"Just how accurate is the data Mizuki collected?"

"Senpai!" one of the freshmen exclaimed. "Then why is he losing five games to love?"

Inui nodded, his glasses glinting. "Yes, but the problem with Fuji is that he never lets anyone see him play his best game."

The beginning of the sixth game marked the turning of tables. Fuji started scoring point after point after point and even if it was Mizuki's service game, Fuji dominated over him. Mizuki served to his weak spot – or so he thought. Fuji easily hit it back to an unreachable corner.

"0-15."

"0-30."

"0-40."

"Game to Seigaku's Fuji. 5-1."

The people freaked, especially the opponent himself. With a terrified look, he raged, "Wait!! I'm hitting them to your weak spots!!"

The wind played with Fuji's hair. "Weak spots? They're all my forte."

"15-0."

"30-0."

"40-0."

"Game to Seigaku's Fuji. 5-2."

Akari watched Mizuki's expression change gradually from hatred to fear until a certain voice interrupted her from behind.

"Fuji Syusuke, no weakness, as usual."

Akari's sudden nearly-frozen state got Rai's attention and made him look back. Standing behind them were people in grey-blue and white jerseys.

Hyotei.

Kabaji and Atobe from before were there. In fact, everybody seemed to be, save for the one with long brown hair. And someone else seemed to be there too, though this one looked too old to be a member, maybe an assistant coach or the like. Seigaku's resident sadistic freshman's eyes narrowed when he saw the last person, especially when he saw the lavender orbs and the dark hair.

"**GAME AND MATCH. SEIGAKU'S FUJI WINS 7-5!"**

His scrutiny was interrupted when the wild cheering reached his ears. Looking at the courts, he saw the manager kneeling and yelling in humiliation. "You lost five games on purpose, you sneaky, lying bastard!!"

Fuji's eyes narrowed. "Arigatou."

Everyone seemed to be mystified by his sudden statement, especially after what he had just done.

"For taking care of my little brother."

Her eyes closing in realization, Akari turned and left. Few people noticed the smile behind the smirk.

* * *

--

Hyotei against Fudomine. Pretty exciting considering the former was the number one seed and the latter was startling everybody with their skill. Right?

Wrong. Hyotei did not play with their real Regulars, hence their expected loss to a team such as Fudomine.

"I can come to the net right?" was Tachibana's final taunt before totally slaughtering Shishido, the _only real_ Regular that played. Not anymore.

* * *


	15. PenalTea

_text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

**BTW:** As Hinataluv pointed out, the characters are quite confusing...Yamato Rai is the other freshman regular physical appearance: dark hair, head shorter than seniors, can pass for junior (tall, i know, but there's a reason for it...what? wait) has dark hair and raven eyes

Hayato, is Akari's cousin, who appears to be younger. Physical appearance: dark hair, dark eyes, as tall as akari, which just happens to be around a head shorter than most seniors and can pass for a junior.

Do I still need any clarifications on Akari?

* * *

**Nevereding Promise: Chapter 15**

**Part Two: Penal-Tea**

A silver-haired senior kicked Arai on the ground. "Who are you trying to order around?"

Kachiro watched in horror. _'I better go inform the teachers.'_

"Running away?" the intruder smirked when he saw the small freshman trying to scamper away. To the younger one's alarm, he hit a fast-paced serve to the freshman's direction, making him fall. To prevent him from escaping, the silver-haired senior retrieved another tennis ball from his white uniform and served to the metal poles, resulting in them landing on the poor freshman. His catlike yellow eyes glinting with malice, he said, "Should I aim for the face next?"

"Katō!"

To Arai's relief, two racquets from opposite directions came down and returned the ball simultaneously with backhands. The intruder deflected it off with ease and caught the offensive yellow ball.

"What's with all the ruckus?" the taller freshman asked.

"Watch out! He's an unbelievably violent guy!" the freshman on the ground warned.

"So you guys finally showed up," the intruder smirked.

"I don't know your name," the shorter of the two freshmen Regulars said casually, putting his racquet behind his back with the other following.

Grinning maniacally, he picked up sharp, jagged rocks nearby and served them to the two. Shocked, the freshmen only returned on reflex. Next time though, they weren't so lucky.

"Isn't this the best!" the senior grinned and served twice the number he served last time.

--

"Itte, itte, itte, itte, itte, itte, itte, itte, itte, itte!!"

"Who did this to you?" Ryuzaki demanded. "This is pretty severe." Shaking her head, she commented, "I can't believe you lied and said you fell down. Isn't that a little too much for _two_ boys?"

The two freshmen stood abruptly. "I fell."

Ryuzaki sighed at the finality of their tone. "What's with you?"

--

"Echizen and Yamato got attacked by someone from another school?"

"They're getting treated at the nurse's room right now."

"Akutsu must be pretty crazy to do that."

"He kicked Arai and served rocks at Echizen and Yamato."

Kawamura, Momoshiro, Oishi, and Kikumaru were in the locker room, changing.

"He's from Shiritsu Yamabuki Chūgakkō so we could face them in the Finals," Momoshiro commented. None of them noticed the troubled look on Kawamura's face.

Kikumaru shook his head. "What a violent guy."

"We should tell the board. It'll be decided after we discuss it with Tezuka and Ryuzaki-sensei," Oishi stated. Right after he finished speaking, the door opened and in came the two freshmen covered in bandages. "Echizen! Yamato! Are you okay?"

The two walked straight to their lockers, sticking to their previous answer. "I'm fine. I just fell down."

"If you complain to the board—" Oishi's suggestion was cut off when the two took off their caps and threw them into their cubby holes.

"I fell."

"It's no use senpai." Grinning, the junior waved his separate hands in front of the freshmen's faces, getting no reaction whatsoever. "They've got that _'I'll take care of myself'_ face on." To emphasize his point, he turned the heads of the two so that they could see their (irritated) faces, much to the younger ones' annoyance.

"Please don't cause trouble." Oishi nearly sweatdropped when Momoshiro laughed hysterically. The two freshmen looked at each other, having the same flashback.

--

"_Today's just a greeting." Smirking, the Senior walked off._

"_Temee…" the two muttered, struggling to stand. When they finally did, they served towards the intruder – too quickly that they were not able to put proper calculation and power._

_He caught the ball easily. "Don't be too hasty. Win through the Pre-Finals first. I'm Akutsu Jin, a Senior from Yamabuki Junior High."_

--

"Don't you think Inui-senpai's acting like a Spartan since he came back from his visit to Ginka?" Horio whined as they ran their nth lap.

"He's concerned about Ginka's training," Momoshiro said, coming up to them.

"Is Ginka really that strong?" Just after the brightly-clad freshman finished his question, Ryoma ran past them.

"You'll tire yourself more if you ask stupid questions," Momoshiro commented before quickening his pace.

"Hai!"

"Are you okay, Taka-san?" Oishi asked his fellow Regular.

The timid Senior shook his head. "It's nothing."

"If you don't feel well, then please leave," the vice captain advised. "We don't want people getting sick before the finals."

"Don't worry," he said, smiling in reassurance.

"Ryoma-kun, Rai-kun, are you two okay?" Katsuo asked when the five of them caught up with each other.

"It's nothing serious," Ryoma responded, ever casual. The other one didn't even bother.

The non-regulars passed Inui, whose glasses were glinting evilly, as he pushed the stopwatch. On the table near him were Styrofoam cups of liquid. "Water time starts now."

"Thanks Inui," Oishi said, drinking his water and disposing of his cup.

"Recharged!" The hyper redhead grinned, smacking his lips. "Just kidding."

"Don't mention it." Inui brushed off the thanks, frowning as the stopwatch went off.

An ear-piercing scream startled the early finishers of that lap and made them look back. When they did, all of them shuddered – no exceptions. Why? The late finishers were clenching their throats, writhing with pain on the floor. The area around them was littered with cups and spilled _ugly, viscous, red _liquid. The mere sight of it made one's stomach flip.

"My newest creation – Penal-Tea," Inui grinned, his glasses glinting oh-so maliciously. "If you take more than a minute for each lap, you'll have to drink this. That means all of you slackers who have been staring, observing if you like, at my juice – " Here he gave Rai a pointed look. " – for the past twenty seconds, will have to get here in forty seconds. That or you'll have to drink it too."

His right eye twitching, the freshman dashed past all of his teammates who were in front. All they saw was a dark blur passing by them.

As soon as he passed the line for the fifth lap in _twenty seconds_, he let out a small relieved sigh that only few people noticed. Then he slowed down his pace again. He wouldn't want to end up like _last time_ with someone when he had lost due to less stamina than a female Senior and some of their other acquaintances and teammates.

He shuddered, remembering. Glancing at the spilled liquid, he thought it would have been better to drink that than the one he had to endure then…

--

Twenty-something laps later, the only remaining people were the Regulars. Rai thought he was faring fairly well compared to last time – until he saw Inui's glasses glinting yet again and was reminded of a certain someone. He felt as if he just saw a bad omen and could not resist shuddering.

"Okay, everyone still running, new rule: Whoever comes last for the thirtieth lap will have to drink this pitcher of Penal-Tea." Grinning, the Senior raised an extra large jug in his hand.

Different hues of black, green, and blue crossed their faces. Time for their own strategies.

Kikumaru jumped over everyone using his acrobatic movements to his advantage, but was held back by Momoshiro and Kaidoh – who started fighting as soon as they saw each other. Ryoma slipped a racquet (who left that racquet lying there?...I'm not going to look at the smirking raven-haired freshman…) into Kawamura's hand, and while he was in Burning Mode, got between the fighting Juniors. The two freshmen slipped past them and were now second to the hyper redhead.

"Saa…I've always wanted to try that juice," Fuji said with his usual sadistic smile.

"Then why don't you?" Oishi asked out of pure curiosity.

"I like to see other people drinking it suffer more." The Vice-Captain forced himself to smile at his teammate's sadistic answer. Turning to Tezuka, the Tensai asked, "Ne, Tezuka, wouldn't you want to try that juice?"

The reply was an immediate, "No thanks."

--

"They're coming!" Horio exclaimed. "I wonder who's first…"

"It's Ryoma-kun and Rai-kun!"

Sure enough, the freshmen skidded around the corner, gripping the wire fence to keep themselves on track.

"No! It's everyone!"

Less than a second later, the rest showed up behind them and a race to the finish ensued, with all of them reaching it simultaneously.

"Hmmm?" Ryuzaki raised her brows. "How did you guys manage to cross the finish line together in an exact straight line?"

They ended together? Rai looked around. True enough, everyone was kneeling or half-lying down on the ground out of pure exhaustion.

"Well…" Glinting glasses was _never_ a good sign. "That was unexpected…Everybody finishing at the exact same time…" Here, a collective sigh of relief could be heard. "…But now that everybody finished together…technically, everybody's last right?"

"No!" If there was a record of rare occasions that everybody in the team was unified and not bickering, this should have been in there.

"But it would be a waste if no one drank this…"

"Drink it yourself!"

--

"Hey." People turned and found a certain female Senior standing near the gates. "Done?"

Nodding, Ryoma went over to her and literally dragged her to where Momoshiro, Rai and Kikumaru were talking – or more like Momoshiro and Rai smirking while Kikumaru was whining.

"I can walk," she muttered before gently shaking free of the freshman's grip. She was then tackled by the hyper redhead who was looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Nya! Aka-chan! Help! I mean, do you want to come to the fast foot with us?" he asked innocently. Glancing once at the freshmen, she nodded. Kikumaru's joy was interrupted by Rai.

"Still, you're the one paying Kikumaru-senpai." The aforementioned senpai looked at the taller freshman with cute confusion on his face. "Because Akari is actually _younger_ than you."

"What? Nooooooooo!!!!!!!" If it wasn't uncharacteristic of her, Akari would have sweatdropped in front of the people with the way the catlike senior was wailing.

--

The five students bit into their burgers, some chomping away, some taking their time.

"Thanks for the burgers, Eiji-senpai!" Momoshiro waved hyperactively as the rest just grunted noncommittally or nodded.

"Man! You guys are ruthless, nya!" the redhead scowled. As he happened to glance at the entrance of the shop, he thought he saw a familiar figure. "Hey, isn't that Taka-san?"

"What?" They all turned, mildly or very interested, to where he was pointing. "Hey, that is indeed Taka-senpai! But he told me he's busy with homework today!"

Not being able to help themselves, they hid behind a sign, one above the other, and watched the timid senior walk into the café. Even the two most stoic of the group had interested looks on their faces.

"Hmm…Could it be a date?"

"WAAAHHH!!!"

Momoshiro, Ryoma, and Kikumaru fell on each other on the ground, startled. After jerking in surprise, the two remaining members of the little party assumed defensive positions on reflex.

"I-I-I-nu-i! Would you quit sneaking up to people like that?!" Kikumaru exclaimed, looking as if he was about to have a heart attack.

"Taka-san's face looks grim. I might get new data." Seeing as the data collector seemed to be ignoring them, Akari and Rai dropped their stances, immediately shuddering when they saw the creepy grin and more so when they saw the thought bubble hovering above the tall Senior's head. "Think about it…Why is he…alone?"

Silence.

"All right, let's go."

--

"A…a girl?!"

"No way!"

Even the others were blinking in surprise.

"And she's crying!" Momoshiro hissed, obviously as freaked out as the rest of them. "Taka-senpai isn't how he looks…"

"Yeah…" Kikumaru agreed. "He's not so simple."

Inui scribbled in his notebook. God help Kawamura with the new data he's gathered.

"Here's your order," a waitress said, walking over and placing a large sundae with chocolate and fruits in front of the green-haired freshman.

"Wah! O-Chibi, you sure know how to order…" Kikumaru wailed, and began saying goodbye to his money. Suddenly remembering something, he grinned and said, "Well, Taka-san will have to pay for us…Mwahahahahahaha – Hmmm? Someone else is here?"

_That guy…_

The freshmen jerked simultaneously.

'_Akutsu Jin from Yamabuki Junior High?'_ Akari thought, cocking her head a bit to the side. A sudden jolt interrupted her mulling and she looked at the two first years.

"Akutsu Jin…" Rai hissed.

"Akutsu??" the more expressive in the group, both the Junior and the Senior, exclaimed. Inui looked interested, especially with the way the freshmen were reacting. "That's Akutsu, the crazy dude? How did Taka (senpai) know him?"

"Was it you that attacked Ryoma and Rai?" Kawamura's words were slow but precise.

"Kawamura!" Akutsu smirked, a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth. "We haven't met since Karate."

"I'm sorry, but would you stop causing Seigaku students trouble?" Kawamura's face was determined when he said it. "And…" He glanced at the girl beside him. "…Don't let Yuuki-chan worry too much about you."

To everyone's distress, Akutsu grabbed a tall glass of liquid and inverted it over the Seigaku Senior's head, the contents sloshing on his hair.

"No one gives me orders," he hissed in a low, gruff voice. Momoshiro's eyes widened, Inui's mouth slackened, and Kikumaru stood up. In a bored voice, Akutsu said, "Jeez, you asked me to come here for this?"

"Jin, stop it!" the brown-haired lady yelled in anger and embarrassment as she wiped the coffee from Kawamura's face.

Akutsu scoffed. "Since we knew each other, I'll let you go this time. Let's go."

"N-no way!" an appalled Kikumaru whispered. "Ack! He's coming this way!" When Momoshiro stood up angrily, his senior held him back. "Momo, no!"

Akutsu was making his way to the entrance where the five were situated, but he seemingly did not notice them at all. Which was probably why he tilted forward when separate legs hindered his way. He landed on one knee and one hand, way off balance. Guess who the owners of the trouble-causing legs were.

"You guys…!" Kawamura cried out in anxiety. Everyone was surprised, and some even impressed, at the freshmen's daring move.

"Sorry," they smirked, saying their lines in perfect sync. "That time went by too fast, and we forgot to introduce ourselves – Echizen Ryoma and Yamato Rai. Both Seigaku Freshmen."

Gritting his teeth, Akutsu spat out, "Brats!"

…Then, he laughed, a harsh, almost maniacal laughter. "You're interesting first years. If you get into the finals, maybe I'll play around with one of you." Then, he turned and sashayed out of the café.

--

"Wah! Inui's going all hard on us!" Kikumaru wailed for the umpteenth time. Like last time, there were horrendous amounts of laps. Though of course there's the consolation of the lack of the dreadful juice's presence. Though actually, people doubted that it would be for long.

"Why is he pushing us anyway?" Fuji asked with his usual _enigmatic _smile, giving people the feeling that they did not actually want to know.

"He went to Ginka High to collect data and he saw everybody dead on the floor," Oishi answered efficiently. "Apparently, Inui thinks they're training really hard, so he's training us even harder."

"Are they really that good?" Ryoma asked with a smirk on his face.

Rai's expression mirrored that of Ryoma's. "I can't wait."

Grinning as he remembered, Kikumaru turned to Kawamura. "Ah, Taka-san, tell us more about Akutsu, nya!"

Kawamura's expression looked awkward but he responded. "He started tennis…again. He played tennis since grade school, and was coached by a really good coach. Nobody could beat him, so he thinks tennis is boring. It's like Karate. Because he's too good and nobody can beat him, he dislikes the sport."

"Wow, he's that good?" Oishi blinked. "He must be pretty good at tennis too."

Kawamura nodded. "He also hates when people give him orders, as some of you probably saw the other day…I've tried helping him out once before, but I almost got beaten up…"

"Let's brush that aside for now…" A sly grin on his face, the redhead slung his shoulder over the taller timid Senior. "Who was that girl you were with yesterday, nya?"

Fuji's eyes immediately lit up. "Mm? Taka-san on a date? I should've gone with you guys to the fast-food restaurant then. Except then I'll have had to lie about my birthday which I highly doubt would've worked, or I would've had to pay a lot…hmmm…"

"Taka-san, aren't you a bit too young for that? You know, you're only fourteen and there is a bright future ahead of you and…" Ever the worrywart, Oishi continued his motherly lecture.

"Fsshhh…date…" Kaidoh hissed, a microscopic blush forming on his face.

Everybody was blabbing, save for the stoic buchou, and Kawamura had a very baffled expression on his face. "A date? What are you talking about?"

"Aww, stop it!" Momoshiro smirked. "That girl you were with yesterday…?"

"You mean Yuuki-chan?" the Senior in question inquired.

Everyone who witnessed it nodded. "See? You even call her by her first name!"

"And the other day, you made her cry!" Momo wagged his finger and said in a lecturing voice, "Senpai, you disappoint me."

"What? You made a girl cry?" Oishi turned blue. "That is so unexpected of you, Taka-san!" I told you that you shouldn't start dating until later so you can avoid these embarrassing moments! You need more life experience to be able to handle…" (The author refuses to put the seven thousand words Oishi had said for fear of consuming too much space and the delay of posting this chapter.)

Kawamura blinked, then to everyone's surprised, started laughing.

"That wasn't a date!" he said, trying to contain his mirth. "Yuuki-chan is Akutsu's mother!"

"EH? NANI?!"

"Then why do you call her by her first name?" Kaidoh hissed in inquiry.

"Because calling her Akutsu-obaa-san makes her feel old," he explained. "She feels better when someone calls her by her first name."

"Girls nya…" Kikumaru sighed. "So hard to understand…"

"So true…" Fuji agreed, and everyone started talking about how weird girls are, completely oblivious to the presence of a certain female just a few yards from them.

"A-hem."

Everyone was eerily quiet until they turned and saw Akari running beside them. When they did, Kikumaru, Momoshiro and a few others nearly jumped.

"Nya!! Aka-chan! Could you stop doing that?" the redhead demanded.

"Doing what?" the female inquired.

"Popping out of nowhere!"

"I did not," she defended nonchalantly. "Besides, I was running here since the beginning."

"Eh?"

"Ah, yeah, that's right." Everyone turned to the taller freshman. "Terpsichoreans have no official practice today but Yamaguchi-sensei told you to practice training with whichever sports team you choose."

"Well informed," Akari commented before speeding up and passing the Regulars by. Why?

The familiar ear-splitting scream of the other members reached their ears. Looking back, they saw cups on the ground, red liquid littered around…And Inui's glasses were glinting.

"Today I have decreased the time limit to fifty-five seconds. So again, if you don't make the next lap in fifty-five seconds…"

There was absolutely no need for him to raise a pitcher full of the bubbly, viscous red mixture.

"By the way, I also kept the old rule: Whoever comes last in the last lap will have to drink the whole pitcher."

With everyone turning black, the people resorted to their tactics again. Momoshiro and Kaidoh sprinted forward, squabbling all the way. Then, Ryoma, after getting the racquet Rai offered (do people really leave black racquets with "R" on the grip lying around?) to him, slipped it into Kawamura's grip, and thus transforming him into Burning Mode. With the rampaging Senior clearing the way, the two freshmen were able to slip past the bickering Juniors with ease. And Kikumaru, with his remarkable acrobatics, simply jumped over Kawamura to take first place. In short, it was very much like a recap of what happened last time, except with Akari in line with Oishi, Fuji, and Tezuka.

And so was the result.

"Wow," Ryuzaki raised her brows, impressed. "You managed to all end up here at the same time again!" Again?? Rai didn't know whether to laugh or to be irritated.

"Now we will hold practice matches."

Everyone sobered up. Practice matches after running?

Inui rearranged his glasses. "I will divide the starters into four groups. One group will go now, the next in five minutes, the next in ten minutes, and the last in fifteen minutes. This is to see how well you can recover or cope with the stress you have right now."

"First pair…" Everyone listened intently. "…Echizen and Fuji."


	16. Rain

_text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

**BTW:** As Hinataluv pointed out, the characters are quite confusing...Yamato Rai is the other freshman regular physical appearance: dark hair, head shorter than seniors, can pass for junior (tall, i know, but there's a reason for it...what? wait) has dark hair and raven eyes

Hayato, is Akari's cousin, who appears to be younger. Physical appearance: dark hair, dark eyes, as tall as akari, which just happens to be around a head shorter than most seniors and can pass for a junior.

Do I still need any clarifications on Akari?

**

* * *

A/N: This chapter is full of flashbacks. I'm still striving to retrieve the plot that will make the story in Fuji's favor so I had to give away **_**some**_** stuff. Ahm…As usual, comments, constructive criticism, and whatever you have in mind, are all welcome. In this chapter, the prologue is **_**finally **_**connected to the story. I hope it's not too sappy, and tell me if I can make it better.**

**Oh, and please tell me if I'm making Akari a Mary Sue…I don't want her to be one but I can't seem to put her flaws in **_**just yet.**_** Maybe after or near the match with Hyotei…**

--

_**Neverending Promise Chapter Sixteen: Rain**_

_**Part One: Duel in the Rain and Recognition**_

--

_**Inui rearranged his glasses. "I will divide the starters into four groups. One group will go now, the next in five minutes, the next in ten minutes, and the last in fifteen minutes. This is to see how well you can recover or cope with the stress you have right now."**_

"_**First pair…" Everyone listened intently. "…Echizen and Fuji."**_

--

The wind blew gently, carrying with it the expression of the mentioned players – dead serious, excited, and challenging.

"Well, who do you think?" Inui rearranged his glasses.

"Fujiko," Kikumaru said, wiping his face with a towel.

Kawamura glanced over to the courts. "Fuji."

Oishi was observing the expressions on the faces of the two. "Fuji."

Inui gazed at his notebook and muttered, "Fuji."

"Ryoma." Everyone turned around to look at the familiar lavender-haired female Senior leaning on the fence beside them.

Momoshiro grinned in concurrence as Kaidoh hissed in agreement, "That's who I want to play."

"You're not leaving yet?" Rai asked with a smirk.

"No," came the curt reply. "You know the reason why I'm here, so stop asking questions you already know the answer to."

"So technically, you're going to be here on a regular basis?" Rai inquired, receiving a shrug.

"Depends," was the simple reply.

"That evens out the training events that need pairs…" Inui's glasses glinted. "…And it gives me a better chance to get data on Masato-san."

Rai smirked and looked at Akari – who looked like she was fighting the urge to twitch or show any sign of emotion at all.

--

_Coming a few feet after his senpai, Rai was paused and watched the conversation between Fuji and Akari._

"_Momoshiro could do better with accuracy if he lessens his power by 20 – 25 percent," the female senior stated, still not taking her eyes off the game that was being played._

"_Saa, you seem to know a lot," Fuji said. "Do you play tennis?"_

"_A bit," Akari replied, finally looking at the Tensai. "I'll be going now."_

_Fuji looked at her, his azure eyes suddenly visible. Surely a person must know more than __**a bit**__ to know things like that._

"_Ii data…"_

_His eyes lingered for a moment to a secluded corner where Inui was watching. Stalker much?_

'Interesting_,' Rai heard Inui mutter and before walking back._

_Deciding to interrogate the girl later, Rai followed suit._

--

"The _**One-Footed Split Step**_? Does he still have more stamina left in him??" the Ichinen Trio exclaimed.

"Ne, Fuji-senpai…" Ryoma smirked and pointed his racquet to the smiling Tensai. "It's okay if I beat you, right?"

Eyes followed the yellow sphere as Fuji tossed it and smacked the ball down hard. A steady rally followed, though the way Ryoma's shots were getting faster and faster was unmistakable.

"Look." The rest followed the redhead's indicated direction and saw Ryoma charging to the net.

Fuji immediately noticed and hit the tennis ball toward his kouhai's feet. The freshman immediately countered with is new move _**Drive B.**_

"Oooohhh, he returned it!"

Somehow, the Tensai caught up to the shot and was able to return it, only to be smashed down by the freshman.

"Nya, he's fast, that O-Chibi!" Kikumaru mumbled beside Akari.

'_Estupido,' _Rai thought, shaking his head.

Momoshiro was obviously thinking the same thing. "No Ryoma, not a smash…! Fuji-senpai's shot…"

The raven-haired freshman's brow rose when Fuji assumed another stance. _'He used it? On the first point?'_

"He's serious, nya!" Looking at the ball rolling form the base line on Ryoma's side, Kikumaru grinned. "Fujiko's serious!!"

"15-0."

A certain someone forgot how to breathe as she witnessed one of the Tensai's signature moves _yet again._

--

_Short lilac hair danced in the air as the owner gaped at the shot that the brown-haired boy had just done. It was so majestic, so graceful, so…__**perfect**__…Like everything about him. Why, just a year ago, when he was merely six years of age, he won his first competition!_

_He turned and walked over to her, graceful as always, and flashed her that kind of smile that very rarely comes to his face. __**A real smile.**_

--

Fuji was staring at Ryoma, digesting what had happened earlier and trying to guess what the freshman was currently thinking. The kouhai simply tugged at his cap and mumbled, "What are you looking at?"

Fuji twitched once before covering it up with a smile. "Eh-heh…Nothing."

"He can't use smashes anymore," Arai smirked to his friends. "That was his best killer shot –"

"But wait, Arai, he's going for it again!"

True enough, Ryoma had a huge smirk on his face as he attempted to smash again. When Akari was able to concentrate enough again, another point was dealt using _**Higuma Otoshi**_.

Tezuka's voice rang through the crowds. "30-0."

Rai nearly twitched. _'God, he's making the match sound __**so**__boring.'_

"Hmmm…Completely neutralizes smashes, huh?" Ryoma eyed the bouncing ball.

"H-He's getting focused!" a random Junior yelled. "That's Ryoma for you…"

"Not the type to get rattled," Momoshiro laughed.

"Uh-huh. In fact…just the opposite," Kikumaru nodded.

Fuji served again. Rallies. And then –

"What?! A juicy lob?!"

'_A challenge,' _Rai smirked.

"Look at that smash! It has a spin to it like the Twist Serve!"

_Boing._

The ball landed again. On Ryoma's side.

"I will break it." The female Senior had the same expression when she saw the freshman's confident smirk.

The crowd watched Ryoma smash again and again, but always the same result occurs…

"Game to Fuji, 2-1."

'_Seriously, couldn't they get another umpire??'_ Rai thought irritably. _'He's making me want to go home and sleep.'_

"Heh." Fuji smirked. "I can't let my guard down against you."

The same cycle continued – smash, Higuma Otoshi, point. Smash, Higuma Otoshi, point…

"Ryoma-kun, how stubborn can you get??" the three freshmen shook their heads in despair.

"That's Ryoma, all right."

Rai's brow rose when Momoshiro, Kikumaru, Inui and Akari said the same thing simultaneously. _'Their all in sync…Saa, the people in this school are freaky…'_

"The result is always the same!" the younger ones sighed. "Ryoma-kun had better give up on the smash – huh?"

The people looked in confusion as the prodigy's smash hit the net. _Hit the net?!_

Fuji gave another lob.

"No matter how hard he tries, it comes back every time!" Katsuo exclaimed as the Tensai positioned himself in that familiar stance.

Kikumaru's eyes widened. "Wha…?"

The other freshman's eyes narrowed and trailed on the ball's flight. Sensing the other's reaction, Akari glanced at Rai and followed suit, only to notice – _'There's something…!'_

"Out!"

--

"Out?! Uso! (No way)," Oishi exclaimed.

"Fuji…missed a counter??" Kawamura stuttered.

'_??' _Akari blinked multiple times. _'He never misses…!'_ Glancing at Ryoma, she thought, _'You've grown a lot…Scary…'_

Fuji's eyes were wide open, but he gave another lob –

"You don't have to hit lobs anymore!"

"He really broke it…" Rai muttered under his breath.

"Out."

Fuji sighed before smiling. "You're incredible, Ryoma. I'm impressed." He lightly tapped his racquet on the net.

Ryoma smirked. "Arigatou."

"You wouldn't aim there normally…" Rai mumbled, incredulous.

"What was that?" Akair asked, turning to the freshman.

The taller freshman pointed to the net. "He's changing the smash's course by hitting the net and slightly offsetting Fuji-sepai's sweet spot."

She turned to the match again but her mind was still on what the freshman said. _'His eyes...His quick thinking…The ability to come up with a solution to any difficulty…Both of them…They would really make a good team…'_

--

Akair eyed Inui as he walked to Ryuzaki and conversed with her. "All right, Momo, get on Court B. You're up."

The Junior immediately lit up. "Yosh! That's what I wanted to hear!! Ryoma shouldn't only be the only one having fun. So, who's my opponent?"

Tezuka calmly walked down the umpire's chair. "Me."

Ryuzaki smirked. "Five minutes after that, Kawamura vs. Kaidoh on Court C! And fifteen minutes after that, Oishi vs. Kikumaru on Court D! Twenty minutes after, Yamato and Masato."

'_Who am I going to watch __**now**__ – wait…'_Akari frowned._ '…How come __**I'm**__ in the lineup?'_

Before Akari could voice out her question, Ryuzaki turned to her and said, "Yamaguchi-sensei told me to include you in the training program for the Regulars." She handed the mildly puzzled girl a sheet of paper.

On it was the school seal, the Terpsichoreans' logo, and the words:

Congratulations, you have excelled enough to be part of the Terpsichoreans, considered the 'Regulars' of the Dance Troupe. You are now an official Terpsichorean. But the title has its obligations.

This is to inform you that you, (name) will be joining different clubs on different days, like the rest of the Terpsichoreans, and participating in their respective training programs. Their coaches will be monitoring your skills and levels of development, and will be grading you accordingly.

The training for the Terpsichoreans, which will be held _outside_ the school_ after_ school hours, will only be twice a week contrary to the everyday practices you have had.

This exercise will gauge your adaptation and flexibility skills, among the others that will be tested in the different sports that you will be assigned to.

Please secure permission from your parents/guardian, allowing you to participate in the said practices. Note that the rehearsals and practices will reach until late night.

Respectfully yours,

Yamaguchi Kitara

Dance Troupe Moderator

Coach, Terpsichoreans Club

--

Akari's right eye started twitching. _'How very like Yamaguchi-sensei to do this…'_

Rai patted the Senior's shoulder. "See you in forty minutes, Neechan." Under his breath he said, "Is it me, or do almost all your teachers want to kill you?"

She had a very strong urge to whack his head.

--

"Man, going against buchou at a time like this…" Momoshiro was grinning through his words. "…Jeez, unlucky, unlucky…"

"Saa, Tezuka and Momo…" Fuji smirked. "That's a match I want to see."

Ryoma bounced the ball coolly. "Then let's hurry up and finish this."

--

Akari decided to watch the match between Momoshiro and Tezuka. Who knows what kind of surprises she'll see? And she was right, though in a sense, she was not.

Momoshiro hit the ball to the other side, with Tezuka hitting easily back. A rally followed, wherein a drop shot was hit, not by the captain, but by the Junior. Impressed at his speed, Akari watched Tezuka return the shot. But as it turned out, it was only a decoy.

"Dunk –"The younger jumped in the air. "– Smash!"

'_Where did he get all that strength from?'_ Akari wondered. _'He's like Hayato, but my cousin is kind of scrawny…Seriously, no person in this tennis team is normal…Especially __**them**__…'_

"Whoa…" the younger students mumbled. "To use a drop shot against the buchou…he actually has a chance at this!"

'_Really?'_ With a raised brow, the lavender-haired female glanced at Tezuka and saw the expression on his face. She was right about finding surprises, Momoshiro's strength, but she was not in the sense that…_ 'I think…I'll go watch another game.'_

"Okay, Oishi, Eiji, it's time," Ryuzaki told the fixed doubles players.

"Hai!"

The redheaded acrobatic player bounced as he ran. "Come on Oishi, match, match! Whoever loses drinks the Penal-Tea, nya!"

Oishi immediately turned green. "Yare, yare, how terrible."

"Hey, look at that!" Horio suddenly yelled.

The people looked to the direction he indicated with his finger. Tezuka was coolly walking out of the tennis court.

'_Just as I thought…He did not show any mercy at all,'_ Akari mused. _'One can really tell by his obdurate expression after Momoshiro grabbed one point.'_

Oishi ran up to him. "Tezuka…"

"It seems like Momo's ankle was completely healed," the buchou simply stated. "But if he's trying to protect it, he can't unleash his full ability."

Oishi said nothing as he looked towards Momo on the ground.

"Focus on your own match instead of worrying about others," Ryuzaki scolded.

--

'_Two more minutes,'_ Rai thought impatiently, pacing up and down as he watched the match between Fuji and Ryoma.

Akari took a deep lungful of air. _'It's going to rain.'_

"Ah!" Distracted, the freshman looked at Horio pointing above. "The sky has suddenly gotten dark!"

"Maa, and I thought I'd be able to play you again," Akari sighed, patting Rai's shoulder – who was seething with annoyance, and twitching in irritation. The water started pouring and the whole club groaned.

"This is no good," Ryuzaki sighed. "The practice is finished! Let's get under cover…"

"First years, hurry up and clean up the nets and tennis balls!" Tezuka commanded.

"Hai!"

Akari and Rai walked from the place where they were supposed to be having a match but stopped when they passed the court the first pair was playing in.

"You're not going to run away, are you, Fuji-senpai?" Ryoma challenged with a smirk.

"A little rain like this? I can still play," Fuji answered coolly.

The freshman switched to his right hand. Akari deduced that he would be doing a Twist Serve _**in the rain**_…

"HEY!!" Akari's eyes turned sharply to where Ryuzaki was standing, and had an urge to cover her ears. For a fifty-eight year old lady, she sure knows how to keep her voice at a deafening, strident level. "How long do you plan on playing?! You morons?!"

Ryoma jerked and dropped the ball.

"You guys are misunderstanding something. This is a practice! You're in the same club. If you want to play each other this badly, you can do it anytime you want," Ryuzaki scowled. "The real thing is tomorrow's consolation matches!"

"It's disappointing…but the match will have to wait 'til another time," Fuji said, finally yielding.

Ryoma turned yellow with indignation. "That's not fair…Just because you're winning 4-3 –"

Ryuzaki walked up to the pair and _pinched_ his ear. "Get under cover and don't talk back!!"

Snickering, Akari preserved the event with her waterproof digital camera. "This is wonderful blackmail material, ne?"

Beside her, Rai shook his head. "And I wonder how he can last your sadism."

--

"I just remembered." Akari stopped walking and turned to Ryoma and Rai. "I have to go back for some library duties."

She shrugged. "Go then. I'll wait. But…" The retreating freshmen paused and looked at her. "…Do you guys always have to be in sync?"

"I'll wait at the main entrance," she said with a smirk, and went off.

--

Fuji was preparing to go home when he noticed a lone figure standing at the main entrance lobby. Immediately recognizing the long lavender locks of the gakuran-clad figure, he approached her. After all, there was only one person in school who had hair that length and color, and wore a gakuran on a daily basis.

"Aren't you going home yet, Akari-san?" he inquired his fellow Senior. "Saa, it would be bad if you went home without an umbrella in this weather. Do you want to share?"

"I'm waiting for someone," she replied. Her voice echoed off the deserted lobby, and it was only then that Fuji noticed the apparent difference of her voice's timbre when she spoke to everyone else and Ryoma and Rai.

"Problem?" she asked when she saw the frown on the Tensai's face.

To her surprise and puzzlement, she felt the other's finger tracing her cheek, going upwards to her ear.

"Fuji." The voice she used had a perceptible warning in it, yet he did not stop. Instead, he tucked some stray strands behind her ear – and was apparently satisfied.

"I should have known." Akari blinked at Fuji when she saw that the latter had replaced his frown with a smile. "_Masato_, huh?"

She sighed. "Took you long enough." The way the older grabbed her into a hug surprised her, but she did not resist. "What gave me away?"

"Your earrings…The last name," he muttered, taking in her scent. "And there I thought I knew you when I saw you in our classroom when you fetched Nishida-san."

--

"_Nishida, you were supposed to be at the club room twenty minutes ago."_

_Fuji looked up and saw a lavender-haired, gakuran-clad figure hovering above the girl in front of him. The person was pokerfaced and the voice, imposing. He frowned. Had he heard that voice somewhere before?_

"_Ah, gomen, senpai," his brown-haired classmate bowed. "I was stuck with some work."_

"_Hn. Don't call me senpai, we're in the same year," the other said, quite annoyed. "And if that happens again, inform your instructor, teacher, or whoever, beforehand."_

"_Hai, gomen, senpai." Nishida bowed yet again, cringing when she remembered the person's earlier statement. "Gomen, Akari-sama."_

_This time, the stoic mask of the person cracked a bit and she twitched. "Do not use the '-sama' suffix…please."_

_Nishida bowed down, now confused on what to call Akari. Fuji watched the scene in wonder and amusement._

"_Let's go. Lunch break will be over in forty minutes." She turned and froze. Her eyes landed on Fuji and the latter's eyes were wide open and locked on hers._

'_**Those orbs…so familiar…'**_

_Her mask cracked yet again and Fuji registered something akin to shock on her face. Then it was gone, and she was out of the door. Her whispered words still hung in the air._

"_I've fulfilled my promise."_

--

Akari fingered the silver diamond-shaped piece of metal on her ear and smiled, her stoic mask completely discarded by then. On the upper corner was a small blue topaz; on the bottom, a sapphire; on the right, a diamond; on the left, an aquamarine; and in the middle, an amethyst slightly larger than the rest. With a smile, she said, "This is too expensive for my liking."

"Deal with it," the other smiled. "It's a family heirloom. Your siblings have theirs too, don't they?"

A comfortable silence followed, one which Fuji was very familiar with. But even though, he was the one to break it. "Saa, you have quite a way to fulfill promises."

Akari looked up and blinked, only realizing what he meant after a few moments.

--

"_Syuusuke-nii-chan, next time you see me near the entrance to the school, I'll be an entirely different person.'_

--

The girl chuckled. "Saa, you're right, though I can freely admit that this event was not in my plans for the day."

"You…" Fuji paused, wondering how he should phrase his statement. "…You've…grown…"

"Of course. Five years is a long time."

"I have a question though." The Tensai turned to her. "Why are you in the same year as I am?"

"Because she's an accelerated, assiduous, anticipative nerd who's just as sadistic as you, Senpai."

A breeze swirled outside and moved the tumbleweeds.

Akari, twitching, turned to see two smirking freshmen. "Ry-o-ma—!!"

--

"So you really were the one she was talking about," the greenhead mused, much to the annoyance of a certain female Senior.

"**Shut up…"** she said in English with a playfully annoyed look on her face.

"Saa, looks like you and our two freshmen rookies are really well-bonded," Fuji said in a thinking position. "Could it be possible that dear little Aka-chan has gotten herself a boyfriend overseas?"

The poor girl froze first before twitching. She turned, her face hidden by the dark shadow of her bangs. Her voice was low and strained when she spoke. "Syuusuke-nii-chan…"

"Saa…you even got one before I got myself a girlfriend."

More twitching. "…Syuusuke-nii-chan…"

"And at your early age too. Do your siblings know about this?"

An irk mark formed on her newly-balled fist. "…_Syuusuke-nii-chan_…"

"Echizen's months older than you, right? Don't you think that's cute?"

The irk mark throbbed. "…_Syuusuke-_nii-chan…"

"Since when?"

Far in the distance, a twig snapped.

"_Fuji Syuusuke!_"

A flock of birds flew from a nearby tree.

--

The other half of the Golden Pair looked up. "Did you hear something, Eiji?"

The redhead shook his head. "Nya, you must be imagining things, Oishi." His face brightened up considerably and he pointed to a store. "Look, look, Oishi! An ice cream store! I want some!"

Oishi sighed and let himself be dragged by his hyper catlike partner.

--

The Tensai blinked, clueless as to why his childhood friend suddenly snapped at him. "Eh? Why Akari?"

Just a few feet from them, Rai glanced at his companion. "Let's get her away from here fast. You know how she reacts to that topic."

"How would _you_ know?" the greenhead inquired with a raised brow.

He shrugged. "Anyone who tried asking would receive the same kind of answer when she's in an annoyed mood."

The two smirked before sashaying their way between the two Seniors, with Ryoma passing directly between them and the other by the area between Akari and the wall. Each grabbed one of the Senior's sleeves and simultaneously opened an umbrella, before walking out of the school – or rather, dragging Akari from the confused Tensai. Akari twitched, thrashing around in their strong grip, snapping all the while.

Fuji's gaze wandered to the path they took long after they were gone.

"_When I do see you again, we'll have a match. I also promise to protect you and not let you get hurt. Nobody's going to harm you as long as I'm here."_

He smiled before walking off.

--

_**Part Two: Rainy Encounter**_

_The Kanagawa Area has a certain appeal, _Akari decided as she trudged through rain-slicked roads. She reveled in the feel of being out on a school day, on school hours, in the rural areas. A quick glance at the thick, official-looking envelope that she kept inside a protective plastic case, and was immediately reminded of the reason why she was there. Seishun's insignia stared back at her, as did the name of a certain captain scrawled in big bold kanji. Too bad, and the playground looked so inviting too – only there were few children there. She looked up and was greeted by dark clouds closing in.

"_That's Kanagawa's in another district, ,right?"_ Rai's voice came from the earpiece she wore on her right ear. Akari nodded. _"So you actually agreed to become an errand girl for the school?"_

He did not need to look at the 3G screen to know that her brow was raised. "And it's kind of hard to believe that the two of you aren't asleep at a time like this. It's wet and cold…the perfect time to be sleeping."

"_There's always class for that,"_ Ryoma grinned appreciatively. _"Besides, you'll probably be eating at that sweetshop so we're annoying you as a compensation."_

Their already-long chat ended a few retorts later, when the freshmen had to return to their respective classrooms. Akari had the feeling that if the two had wound up in the same room, they would find a way to sit beside each other and continue tormenting her. As a large board came into view, other thoughts not relating to the delightfully sweet treat that awaited her vanished.

"Konnichiwa Masato-sama," a middle-aged lady greeted her as she came in. "It's been quite a while since you last went here, ne?"

Dropping the usual façade, Akari smiled back. "Well, I've been busy, Katari-san. As for you first greeting, please take out the '_-sama' _suffix."

There was a great deal of exchanging small quips as the Senior settled down to eat between the counter and a wide panel of glass. The comfy feel of the place suited her, and the small fireplace burning not far from her table proved to be useful when the rain started pouring. The hard splatter of the water against every surface of the streets made people unconsciously huddle together.

Akari sighed as she knew her chore would be delayed. Her second helping of the special lunch the storeowner had made her. The slice of chocolate chip cheesecake she ordered lay untouched. _For now._ She knew that later, two whole boxes of the said cake would be waiting for her before she paid her bill.

"Ara, ara, that's quite a storm," Katari commented. "Anyone stuck out in that weather would catch pneumonia for sure. It's good you got in here before it started pouring."

Akari nodded wordlessly, beginning to attack her dessert. The lady frowned as she stared outside the panel. "Is that a kid out there?"

The Senior, rather annoyed to be interrupted while eating the dolce, looked outside. Sure enough, a girl was sitting on the swings, alone and drenched; the other kids had already gone home with their parents. She frowned. The same girl had been there since she first stepped into the sweetshop, and that had been half an hour ago.

Katari watched wordlessly as the normally impassive girl got up and went to the little girl.

--

"Hey kid."

The mop of blue hair lifted and ultramarine eyes peeked out. "Are you a stranger?"

Akari blinked but did not stop approaching the girl. "Hah?"

"I shouldn't talk to strangers," the girl said quietly. She then proceeded to turn her cheek and pretend to ignore the teen in front of her while peeking.

"I'm a stranger," she affirmed. "But I gotta get you inside someplace warm. You'll get a really bad cold if I don't."

The little girl smiled up at Akari, dazzled by the beauty of the typical expression. Was it sweet? Gentle? Soft? Or maybe even intimidating? She could not decide. Whatever it was she was snapped out of her reverie when the girl spoke again. "You're a nice stranger."

"Well…You really shouldn't go with strangers, but I think you can make this one exception," she said with a smile. "But after this, you should promise not to go with strangers."

The little girl smiled. "Yup, you're definitely not…_notorious._"

Akari's brow rose. "How old are you?"

"I'm seven," she answered with that same breathtaking smile. "But I think we need to go in. I'm cold."

"Oh, yeah." The Senior mentally slapped herself as she half-carried the little girl to the apartment. It was a miracle she had not been burning a fever; the little girl had spent over ten minutes in that cold without so much as a sweater.

"I thought you didn't like kids," came wryly from Katari. "It seems to me that you're more involved with kids recently."

"Do _not _start," the teen muttered, sitting close to the fire beside the girl. Two hot mugs of chocolate were set down before them.

"I'm looking for your parents as soon as the rain stops," she told the girl. "It would really help if you told me your name."

"Sachiko. Sachie for short," she responded, giving an approving nod at the taste of her drink. "Don't look for my parents; look for my lost nii-chan. Or his friends in the tennis team."

'_Tennis team?'_ Mentally, her brows were already raised. "Uhm…where do you study?"

Sachiko smiled and pointed to the exposed plastic case, the one containing the files Akari had yet to deliver. The receivers' school name almost gleamed. The teen blinked, looked at the girl, then back at the envelope. She immediately knew to whom she would take the girl. Thank goodness for tennis data she had _conveniently _gotten from someone.

Akari looked at the girl, currently devouring a chocolate mousse, and was immediately reminded of a person in her childhood.

--

"It wasn't my fault that Sachiko-chan got lost!"

"Feh, if you hadn't taken your eyes offa her, she wouldn't have been lost Bratling!"

"Well that--!"

"TAROUNDAROU!!"

The two bickering yellow-clad boys cringed at the sound of their Vice Captain's bellowing voice. "The two of you, ten laps around the courts when we get back!"

Their captain, a blue-haired effeminate Senior, sighed but kept his smile intact. "Don't bother Genichirou. Let's find Sachie first, shall we?"

The boys gulped and nodded. Even the stolid baseball cap-wearing ice of a Fukubuchou was known to fear their Captain. And that had to say something. They went back to searching. Things were no better when it started pouring.

"Oh no, Sachie-chan doesn't have a jacket…Ow!" The seaweed-haired boy winced as his silver-haired senpai elbowed him in the ribs.

"Quit it bratling! Buchou doesn't need to be reminded of that," he hissed. Unfortunately, their captain heard it and kept frowning.

"I think it's best if we return home now, Yukimura," a Senior with closed eyes suggested. "We'd be able to search faster when it clears up."

Though reluctant, the blue-haired beauty relented. And what a surprise they got when they reached their school's clubroom.

"Ne, nii-chan! Where have you been?" Sachiko beamed from the long bench she was seated on. Aside from being fully dry, she was also wearing a thick, light blue jacket that was a tad too big for her.

Yukimura blinked, almost incredulous. The frown he had worn since the disappearance of the little girl was replaced with a smile as he claimed the girl in a hug. "Sachiko, where have you been? And how did you get back?"

"Ne-e-e-e-chaaaaaan!" The team of boys blinked, puzzled by the girl's whine. "You cheated! You said you'd wait for nii-chan to come for me!"

"But I did."

The boys whipped around at the sound of the voice, but found nothing more than a silhouette dashing for the door. It swung closed and by the time one of them had the sense to open it (read: Sachiko), nobody was near.

--

"Saa, that went well," Akari muttered, smiling in spite of herself. She only needed to replace the mask once she got near enough to school, right? She stretched her arms, actually missing the feel of the clothing that once covered them.

Shrugging, she walked out of the Rikkai Daigakou Fuzou campus.

--

Ryoma chuckled over the line. _"Saa, Yamaguchi Katari-san _did _have a point when she said that."_

"Oh be quiet," the exhausted Senior muttered playfully. "I'll eat all of this if you don't."

"_Empty threats,"_ Rai smirked. _"You can't bear doing that to _us._"_

"Go on, gloat all you want."

"_That reminds me…" _Ryoma eyed the plastic case Akari still held. _"Why is that still with you?"_

The girl cracked open her eyes and saw the same thick envelope staring right back at her. She groaned. "Bullshit du jour."

The two freshmen vaguely wondered how the female Senior was able to make such a vulgar term sound so dignified.


	17. Yamabuki and a Party

_text_-flashbacks/thoughts/emphasized words

**text-**spoken in another language

text-written

**BTW:** As Hinataluv pointed out, the characters are quite confusing...Yamato Rai is the other freshman regular physical appearance: dark hair, head shorter than seniors, can pass for junior (tall, i know, but there's a reason for it...what? wait) has dark hair and raven eyes

Hayato, is Akari's cousin, who appears to be younger. Physical appearance: dark hair, dark eyes, as tall as akari, which just happens to be around a head shorter than most seniors and can pass for a junior.

Do I still need any clarifications on Akari?

**

* * *

Oyea, triple update plus another fic up! Heheh, this is a sort of compensation for all the times I haven't updated. The PC just got fixed last…February? Or was it March? Whichever, I was too busy with schoolwork to update then. I haven't even written anything down except for the answers to my finals…Anyway, since school is over, I'll be trying to update (and type) as much as I can…And as long as my siblings and I don't get in a row, I think it's safe to say that I'll be updating semi-regularly (Is there even such a thing?ü) Anyway, on with chapter seventeen!^^**

**Neverending Promise Chapter Seventeen: Yamabuki and a Party**

"_How are the matches?"_

The taller of Seigaku's freshmen never took his eyes from the match, despite his murmured conversation with a certain Senior over the phone. Silver hair flashed this way, and greenish-black hair flashed the opposite. "Ryoma's playing right now. As you said, Akutsu Jin is really good. He can get to the net form the baseline in an instant. He hits to the opposite side of where Ryoma goes to and now he's having quite a hard time."

"_Hmm…has he done anything yet? Shallow lob maybe?" _Rai's brow rose as he listened to the background of Akari's voice.

"Not ye – spoke too soon." Just then, the freshman _did _make a lob. He felt someone behind him, a few yards back. "If you're just going to watch the games from there, then I better put this down."

He did not need to turn around to see her lips curled up in a hidden smirk. _"What'cha talking about? I just got here."_

A click was heard and Akari finally mingled with their group. The freshman regarded her in silent greeting.

"What's he doing?? Although that limits Akutsu's hit range, Akutsu will – !!"

The two looked at the random player who had cried aloud. True enough, they heard a crunchy _Pok! _And had fast and calculating enough eyes to catch the path that the green sphere would be taking – right at the playing rookie. Collective gasps were heard as the freshman was hit right at the chest and flipped in the air.

Akari smirked. "Seriously, that guy has a knack for making all of us worry."

People looked at her incredulously, not quite believing her to be so heartless as to use a nonchalant voice with her statement. But then they saw…

"…He…He returned it…?"

"It's just like him to provoke his opponent to smash so he can return the ball with the racquet he used to cover his face," Rai commented, amused.

Inui looked at the two and discreetly jotted something down in his notebook. _'The two seem to have deeper connections to Echizen than any of us had imagined…'_

They continued to watch as Ryoma started his counterattack, running towards the net and luring Akutsu into attacking him again. Suddenly, Fuji's eyes snapped open, gaining the attention of those who noticed it. "He mastered it, didn't he? Yuuta's _**Super Rising**_…"

The attack seemed to be futile as Akutsu slid back and returned it quickly. Ryoma quickly dashed over to hit the ball to the other corner, surprising the others with his speed.

"Echizen never ceases to surprise me," Inui commented. "How was he able to move to the left side without taking a step?"

Fuji smiled and glanced at the girl sandwiched between him and the other freshman. "What do you think, Akari?"

"That's possible because of the _**One-Footed Split Step**_." Akari closed her eyes and reopened them, silently tuning out the discussion of the genii behind her as to how that particular technique worked. She put her attention to more interesting subjects – like how the _**Super Rising **_was working. She could not help but mutter, "Limitless prodigies and their intimidating proficient forms…"

"And _now _look who's talking," Rai said with a smirk. Few people even realized that the two were talking, and it was definitely not their intention to let the resident Data Taker (read: stalker) hear that particular statement.

"The _current _Ryoma…so strong!" Momoshiro grinned.

Scores went from 1-1 to 4-4, and it dawned on them that Akutsu was already making a comeback. The court endured sets and sets of rallies. They all had the same thought. _'Akutsu's willpower and Ryoma's bravery…whichever is stronger will win this match.'_

It seemed like an eternity before match point came. For Ryoma. Momoshiro was yelling excitably, "Come one Echizen! Just win one point and we win!"

The rally started with a super rising, with Akutsu yelling provocative things while returning everything.

Drive A.

Back up.

Lob.

Very high smash.

And a very tricky drop volley from none other than Seigaku's prodigy freshman.

Amidst the tense atmosphere, Akutsu grabbed the boy by the collar, almost lifting the him off the ground. Ryoma, however, was far from being scared. "It's my win."

And after an intense staring match, the silver-haired Yamabuki Senior let go and _laughed._

"Game and Match, Seigaku's Echizen, 6-4!"

--

**(Hmm…I'm going to try – keyword: try – writing humor here…If it sucks, I'm sorry, but tell me which one you like better so I'll know. Much thanks. Oh, and maybe in one of the next chapters, I'll try writing in first person POV. Again, that's just for trial. It's up to you to tell me what you think. Thanks again. Okay, so on with the story!^.^v)**

A cellphone rang out in the dead of night, sending out notes of _Kiseki_ by Kazunari Ninomiya into a certain someone's ear. Groaning, she rolled over and answered it.

"Ola _oneesan_." The title, the language and, more importantly, the time of the call immediately told her who was calling. _"Sleeping well without me by your side?"_

"Hey," she muttered groggily. "_Bom dia…_" (Good morning…)

"_Really sorry for disrupting the already meager sleep you get," _her cousin's voice flowed through the earpiece. _"Am I disturbing you? I thought so, I think I'll call again later at–"_

Impatient, she cut him off. "Whatever this is, make it quick. And yes, whatever it is, I'm doing it; you rarely ask for favors."

Silence. _"Um, how'd you know?"_

"You're not really roundabout in everything," she murmured, already half-asleep. "So what is it?"

"_Can you attend a business party for me? A __**formal**__ business party? As in with dresses and everything? _Por favor?"

"Sim, sim, sim," (Yes, yes, yes)she muttered in the same language. "Just where is it?"

There seemed to be hesitation on his part. When he spoke, the words tumbled right out of his mouth and he dropped the call. _"The-event-at-ten-in-the-morning-later-and-a-lot-of-agreements-and-partnerships-will-be-made-and-I-hope-you-can-grab-one-and-make-it-good-It's-in-Japan-at-the-Atobe-Mansion-with-business-partners-and-maybe-some-tennis-playing-friends-of-the-sole-heir-Okay-that's-it-good-luck-Thank-you!!...And I do hope you live through that."_

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Akari muttered before putting the unit back on the bedside drawer. "Ten hundred hours, Japan, Atobe Man – "

She fell from the too-large-bed.

--

Hayato looked outside the window of his Portugese suite. He had hoped that she wouldn't take it against him when she was awake enough to realize that there would be people from _Hyotei._ His hopes were short-lived though.

--

Her eyes snapped open with realization as to why her cousin had been so hesitant to tell her. She climbed back to bed, looking like a very angry Sadako indeed. "Yamamura Hayato, dammit, I'm going to murder you when you get back home!!"

Several thousand kilometers away, Hayato cringed.

--

Morning Practice that day proved to be the usual, boring routine. Ryoma didn't know whether to be annoyed at the lack of challenge or thankful that Inui's juices did not come until later in the afternoon. Rai had been skipping classes for three days, only appearing earlier during the ranking matches and disappearing promptly after finishing all of his matches. Akari wasn't there either; something in the Dance Troupe had forced her to stay behind and actually practice with the said team.

"Saa, I wonder where those two went off to," Fuji mused in the locker room as they changed for class. "Yamato skips classes pretty often these days. And Akari looked somewhat haggard too."

"Nya, Fuji." The Tensai looked at his best friend. "How come you're so familiar with Aka-chan now?"

Some of the people, particularly the Regulars, paused to look at the smiling Senior. "I don't know Eiji; I've always been familiar with her."

Ryoma closed his eyes and continued donning his clothes. '_Of course, he had to say that.'_

Inevitably, Inui was right beside Fuji as soon as he said those words, notebook in hand. "Really Fuji? How come we've noticed this change in the name-calling only recently? How're you connected to her? Childhood? Or maybe one of you helped the other on a hard trick? Or maybe even you're already onto something more intimate here?"

Fuji continued smiling as Inui stated other possible connections, each one cornier than the last. Finally, someone snapped.

"If you want to ask stuff like that, go ask Akari herself." They looked at the present freshman Regular. He uncharacteristically looked really ticked off. The others looked at Inui; they hadn't thought of that.

And that was how Ryoma found himself being dragged by the collar of his school uniform by his senpai-taichi as they went to the Ballet Room.

--

She was just locking the door to the club room when the boys arrived. Akari looked up and saw Momoshiro dragging Ryoma by the collar of his gakuran, Eiji, dragging Oishi, Fuji following with a smile, and Inui furiously scribbling in his notebook. Without the presence of someone sane (e.g. Tezuka and, to some extent, Kaidoh), they were making their way to her.

So now tell her why she shouldn't be scared.

"Kai." Akari returned Ryoma's short greeting with a curt nod. "_Senpai-taichi _want to ask you questions."

She immediately shook her head. "If you don't want me to vent on you, you better get away as fast as you can."

"When you actually sleep later, tell me; maybe then I'll take them to you," he muttered softly but all of them heard.

"After what I'm going to do later, I doubt I'll be sleeping peacefully for a while." Inquisitive looks were sent to her direction. "That reminds me…If you're going to look for me later, I'm out."

"Out? Out where?" Fuji asked, curious. He suddenly piped up, "Do Echizen and you always go out?"

"Like on a date?" Eiji blinked. An evil grin formed slyly on his face as he remembered being with a certain someone as they tailed said "couple".

"E-Eiji, cut that out," Oishi muttered, flustered. "That's rude."

The two people in question stared at them with blank looks. "Who the _hell_ would be crazy enough to risk their lives and go on a date with _him/her_?"

"But what about – "

Whatever it was that the redhead was asking, he got cut short by the female Senior's ringing cellphone. "Crap, forgot to put it on silent." She slid her hand into her pocket and checked the screen. "Oh for the love of…not now…"

Ryoma's eyebrows shot up. "Who is it? Sensei?"

She shook her head and excused herself, an expression of impending doom written all over her face as she answered the call. "Um…morning?…There wasn't anything good with it to begin with…Yes, I'll do it…Uh-hu – wait, what?! Why do – can't it be something else?…Grr…You owe me big for this one."

The Regulars watched as she ended the call and shut off her phone for good measure. The only person who was qualified to hypothesize asked, "Let me guess…Your cousin?"

A nod.

"A formal party?"

Another nod.

"When?"

"Until later in the evening."

"Where?"

Akari looked at him reluctantly; her image and reputation be damned. "Atobe Mansion."

One.

Two.

Three.

A sadistic smirk made its way to the green-haired freshman. "Oh_, god._ Good luck. I hope you live."

"For a supposed best friend, you sure are helpful," she deadpanned.

"My pleasure."

"Apparently, your prodigious mind can't handle a little bit of sarcasm."

"That makes the two of us."

The Regulars watched in fascination and awe that people like them (aka living blocks of ice with absolutely no place of warmth for others) could engage in such a conversation. Fuji felt the need to remind his dear childhood friend of his presence and decided to pipe up. "Ne, Aka-chan, why do you need to go there?"

"As he said," she indicated the taunting freshman, "I'm going to a formal party in place of someone."

"And by the looks of it, the party's theme is _pink,_" the prodigy snickered, earning a spine-chilling glare from the girl.

"Who the _hell _would set up a party like that anyway?" she half-complained to herself. She shook her head and when she addressed the crowd in general, the usual impassive student was back. "I already have a pretty good guess of what you were going to ask but it'll have to wait. I have to be out of here before ten o clock and it's already ten to eight. I'll be going."

Everyone watched, somewhere between stunned speechless and stuttering incredulously, as the mysterious, usually calm and composed Senior walked off in a fit. You'd think their minds had had enough racking, but _no,_ the brat just had to call her attention.

"Kai-ri!" The female paused, apparently responding to the peculiar nickname. "I hope you live!"

Finally, she turned to face the annoying brat. "_Vaya al infierno._"

--

'_I need to pull through. Ranking matches just finished, Regionals are near…Gah, Hayato, you're one lucky bastard…Why does _he _have to be studying at that school?? And _why _in Kami-sama's name, am _I _going in a pink dress, riding the god_damn_ vehicle I swore I would never ride here in Japan, going to one of the last places I'd want to be!?! Gah! This is _so _frustrating! If only Hayato wasn't so…urggghhh…'_

Akari's right brow twitched even as she tried maintaining a blank face. As her mental tirade stated, she was currently in a glossy black limousine, sporting a horrifyingly (for her) clingy baby pink dress made of satin and silk and adorned with laces and glittering _diamonds _(it took all her effort not to strip the shining rocks off), heading for the last place she wanted to be at that moment.

No wait, scratch that: she _was _in front of the large marble steps leading into the colossal mansion. Once again, a twitch could not be helped.

"Obbocchan, we have arrived," the elderly driver of the vehicle stated, plainly seeing the distaste on the young girl's face. "An advice if you will. Don't keep a poker face like you typically do; you'll scare off potential clients and partners."

"I know Adrian, I know…Even though it may not seem that way," she murmured. Akari got out with a smile so radiant, even Fuji Syuusuke would have been thrown off. _'Here goes nothing.'_

That whole morning was spent in the company of people twice, thrice, and even _five times _her age, greeting, smiling, chatting and doing all other pointless things Akari would never have dreamed doing in school. She made that mistake, once in a previous school, and look where it got her. She would _never _get over her fear of fan boys _and girls._ And so from morning until the early hours of the evening, she had to endure faking a cordial, sociable attitude, all the while stomaching the horrifying dress she was wearing. She had hoped honest to goodness that she would be able to just stick by the food table, but _no, _she had deals to seal and contracts to sign – not to mention clients to entertain and potential business partners to amuse. Never in her life had she felt such a strong urge to run for it and actually skin the person responsible for this…this _torture._

And while others may have said that Atobe was a genius for putting the event together and allowing several multi-million companies to mingle with each other and make deals, Akari had something else in mind.

'_Swear to god, Hayato, you better be prepared for what's heading your way,'_ she thought, still fuming. All too late, she realized that school had been let out a good half hour ago. Which meant that she had a few minutes before the Hyotei creeps came around. Maybe around…one? Oh, what luck, here they come.

The large dark cherry doors, having been kept open all the time, admitted eight middle school boys and a high schooler, all dressed up for the occasion. The egoist, Atobe Keigo, brought up the front as expected, with a loyal Kabaji Munehiro by his side, discreetly supporting what appeared to be a half-dozing Akutagawa Jirou. Oshitari Yuushi, in all his fake-spectacled blue-haired glory, was beside a springy redhead known as Mukahi Gakuto. A kind looking Ootori Choutarou and Shishido Ryou, with his new haircut, flanked their raven-haired high school manager. Akari nearly dropped her champagne glass when she saw the striking lavender orbs.

_Shootshootshootshootshoot!!_

More than ever, she wanted to bolt.

Very sadly, the very group she had been avoiding came to her – or rather, the insisting father brought _her _to _them_. With the carefree manner of the senior Atobe, it was hard to imagine just where the heir got his attitude; it would have been very bad manners to turn the host down. Sometimes, people having an idea of what your age is could get you into trouble, as the poor girl found out not much later.

"Ah, Keigo, I've been wanting to see you," the middle-aged man greeted his son. They exchanged greetings, and even the Hyotei Regulars and their manager did as well. Very gently, she was pushed forward, and donned on a mask of solid ice pretty much like the one she often wore at school; she could scarcely imagine the kind old man knowing that he was sending her to her death. "See here is a colleague of mine. She's more or less around your age, but she's involved in her family's business. She's Masato Akari; do entertain her."

"Very impressive, I must say, Madam," the Hyotei captain complimented, gently taking her hand and brushing his lips against the back of it. "Corporate things are not very easy to handle, as I have learned from my own experiences."

She found that she could nod, albeit a bit stiffly. To her dismay, she was left with the last crowd she would want to be in. By then, she was doubting the man's sanity. She said nothing, showed nothing, expressed nothing as their group moved towards a corner of the room and settled there. Apparently, things like this were the norm around here. But certainly, the supposed Tensai of Hyotei scrutinizing you was far from typical.

"Um, excuse me." The whole group's attention was effectively drawn to the speaker, namely one Oshitari Yuushi. "Have I seen you before?"

"Nice try Oshitari, I don't think everyone falls for that trick," Shishido yawned just loud enough for them to hear.

The genius shook his head. "No really…It's a long shot but…Weren't you always with Seigaku?"

Everyone gave her inquiring glances. Akari cocked her head, mask still in place, and assumed a posture of full authority, as much as the asininely elegant pink tube mass of precious cloths would allow – which made her look even more intimidating, to say the least. "I had no idea that my company would be pried upon by the likes of you."

"Come to think of it…" Raven hair spilled over jaw-droppingly hot features. "…I think I _did _see someone like you hanging around that lot…except the one I saw was in a gakuran and his hair, though long, was dead straight. Maybe a younger brother of yours?"

"I am the youngest child of my family," she said stiffly. "Just how old do you think I am?"

There was silence as they tried to gauge her actual age. Finally, someone actually had the nerve to speak up to a figure as intimidating as Atobe – which was, of course, the captain himself.

"Ore-sama would say that you are twenty-five," he said confidently, no doubt thinking that his foresight was correct as always.

Akari blinked, sighed, and finally let the mask slip. _'What the heck am I doing?? I'm not supposed to be doing this in front of _him! _Heck, I shouldn't even be doing this with outsiders!'_ "I'll let you in on a secret." The others leaned in, some arched their brows, most just kept their eyes on her; either way, she knew that she had their full attention.

"You _have _been seeing me with the next opponent you will face, I _do _hang around with the Seigaku Regulars, I _was _the one you saw then, because I _am _a student of Seishun Gakuen."

_Silence._

"You gotta be kidding me."

Akari smirked. "I am most certainly not." For proof, she took out her student ID card from the matching (thankfully not pink) purse, and flashed it to the disbelieving teens. Sure enough, everything she said was true. The only thing was…

"Why are you in a gakuran there?" the raven-haired boy asked.

"There is no way I am donning that horribly short thing they call a uniform." She dropped all pretenses. "Now that that's settled, care for a proper introduction?"

"Ah, apologies for that," Atobe said amused. He was pretty sure the girl was already well-informed. "I am the glorious captain (he entirely missed the face Akari made), Atobe Keigo, only son and heir of the owners of the Atobe Corporation."

"Over here is Oshitari Yuushi and Mukahi Gakuto, our fixed Doubles Pair; Shishido Ryou and Ootori Choutarou, our Silver Pair; Akutagawa Jirou, our – Jirou! Wake up! Kabaji, if you would please…"

A small "Usu" was uttered, followed by an uncomprehending "Huh??"

"As I was saying, this is Akutagawa Jirou; over there is Kabaji Monehiro; and last, but certainly not least is our playing manager (albeit for the high school team)…" He waved an elegantly manicured hand in the direction of their raven-haired companion. "…Te – "

He was interrupted by a pale figure approaching their not-so-small table. Coal black hair and eyes that spoke of pure power and control, his smile was an amiable one. "Pleasure to see all of you here. How are you, Choutarou-san?" He regarded the tallest player in their group until he noticed the presence of the only girl. "_Oh?_"

Slipping an impassive mask back on, Akari looked up at the pale face of the speaker. "Is it such a rare sight to see me nowadays, Kyouya-_kun_?"

None of them missed the emphasis placed on the honorific, and certainly not one of them had a clue as to what the conversation occurring between the two was about. Not when it was in rapid French, involving different things which none of them could even begin comprehending.

"Um, anou…Masato-san, Kyouya-san, you know each other?" the silver-haired Ootori asked shyly. He received a curt nod from both parties, and he resolved not to speak after that.

"If you would please, Ootori-_kun_, I prefer to be left _alone._" She stressed the last part of her sentence and coupled it with a look such that even impassive Ootori Kyouya had to back off. And when he did take that accidental step backward, Akari smiled a _very _sadistic smile. "I'm glad we understand each other then."

"I heard that you are currently studying in a junior high school," the high school host said with a frown. "Why not enroll in Ouran? Or in Hyotei for that matter?"

"Whatever the circumstances are, there is _no way _in hell that I would affix the word '-senpai' to your name." Lavender orbs narrowed dangerously. "And I had not the slightest idea that it would matter to you whatever school I attended."

'_Crap, he knows,' _Akari thought frantically as she saw the look the older teen was giving her, keeping her mask intact. Instead, she drummed long-nailed fingers on the armrest of the couch she was lounging on. It served as warning enough; the topic wasn't opened again until later.

Turning to the group of tennis playing teens, Kyouya said, "Forgive the sudden intrusion, but may I take the dame from your presence, Akira-san? I would very much love to share a dance with her."

Dumbfounded and having nothing else to say, the raven-haired manager nodded. The rest just followed suit, and Akari…?

She was just happy to be given a chance to flee.

--

"You owe me for that one," Kyouya muttered before the two took separate ways in front of the Atobe Mansion. "Why not tell him that you're here?"

"The same reason that you haven't formally asked Fujioka yet, _mother_," Akari stated dryly. She received a raised brow from the third son of the head of the Ootori Corporation, no doubt asking for a silent explanation as to how she knew the current circumstances in the prestigious high school of his when it was only recently that he had told her about the newest female member of the Ouran High School Host Club. "You can't think I didn't notice."

Kyouya sighed and shook his head, wondering just where his supposed first 'daughter' got such an intimidating attitude and strong perception. Come to think of it, his other 'daughter' had similar qualities. She was also sensitive and perceptive, not to mention intelligent and charming (that was what had gotten her into the school and the host club in the firsts place, wasn't it?). And like the Senior, she was completely and absolutely dense when it came to herself. Except the girl was not such a sporty person.

Kyouya stared at the retreating back of his acquaintance, currently rushing out of the mansion gates and breaking into an utterly fast sprint in her _three inch high heels, _and no doubt calling the butler telling him _not _to pick her up, wondering if the girl was actually _human_.

--

A very relieved Akari pushed open the glass doors of the café she once found herself in while watching a certain timid Regular with the others. Once inside, she spotted the mop of greenish-black hair by the window and immediately went toward the figure. The group on that table – consisting of Ryoma, Kikumaru, and his best friend Fuji (no doubt both interrogating the poor freshman and bribing him with sweet things) – looked up upon her arrival. Mercifully, the primary Data Taker was not present.

"You look harassed," the freshman prodigy commented nonchalantly, making space for her to sit down.

"I _was,_" was the tired answer. She closed her eyes and gave a light sigh. "Give me the largest serving of chocolate gelato and extra large Special Strawberry Parfait."

"Anou…do we know you?" Fuji asked tentatively, watching in curiosity as the formally dressed lady lean her head on interlaced fingers while their freshman prodigy patted her head. He wasn't at all sure if it was in mockery or comfort.

The freshman eyed his companions wearily; they were both wearing the same curious expression. A slight smirk tugged at his lips. How come his senpai-taichi didn't notice how _adorable _they look? Adorably blackmail-worthy, that is.

"I don't want to hear anything from you Rai, not just yet," the defeated Senior murmured, already finding the boy's shoulder comfortable enough to use as a pillow. "And Allison sends her greetings."

"You can't seriously mean that, can you Akari?" Was it just them or was their O-chibi positioning himself to make her comfortable? And…

"Akari??" The redhead gawked, staring at the pink satin-clad dame. Lightly curled tresses flowed over the tube-type dress. There was _no _way this was the gakuran-wearing guy that was always confused with a girl. Or a girl confused for a guy??

"Parfait…" the girl muttered pitifully. Ryoma grinned, amazed at the wonders of low blood pressure. Maybe he should get around to making her do something completely idiotic and blackmailing her with it? Something along those lines…gee, and people said Fuji wasn't one of the people he spent time with. "Don't even think about doing it."

Golden orbs blinked. "What?"

"What you were thinking seconds ago." She cracked open one eye. "I'll make sure your life's hell if ever you get around to doing that."

Ryoma and the others blinked, watching the seemingly sleeping girl with a mixture of interest and inquiry. "You…are one of the scariest creatures I have ever seen."

"I just know you too darn well," was the muttered answer before she raised her hand to take the newly-arrived order. To their utter shock (and horror?) Ryoma was the one who spooned the delicacy into her mouth. It looked as if the Senior was regaining some of her usual composure. Oh glorious sugar.

"Please, oh please, don't ask me how it went. Not here. But…" Akari opened her mouth to admit some more of the sweet stuff the freshman was spooning to her. "Anything happen in the ranking matches today?"

There was silence. It caused the girl to open her both her eyes. Only then did Fuji speak up. "Actually, Momo didn't make it."

Even the usually hyper redhead looked solemn. "He looked so depressed when I talked to him after school, nya…All his usual energy was gone!"

Akari took a deep breath. "That can't be good."

"Think he'll be okay?" the acrobatic player asked. She shrugged. "Maybe we can ask him tomorrow when he comes to morning practice."

The girl nodded before actually sitting up straight and eating on her own. Ryoma smirked; all the while, Fuji had been silently watching his childhood friend, and he hadn't missed any of their actions. That is, he had seen the look on his senpai's face, and he had seen the tinge of pink that matched oh-so-well with her attire. He looked to the side and saw his reflection bounce back from the mirror positioned in a convenient spot. A glimmer of silver was visible as he tucked the camera phone back into his pocket. Maa ne, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, right?

_Wrong._

"**Ryoma Echizen, you better delete that picture before I do."**

He glanced up at the girl beside him. He was sure her eyes did not even stray in that direction so how…? Sighing, he took the cellphone out and showed the girl the process of deleting the picture he last took. The rest of the Seniors could not believe how, at the end of that peculiar encounter, Akari sleepwalked with Ryoma to, hopefully, her house.

Fuji Syuusuke should _not_ have been following them. Neither was Kikumaru Eiji, and to their chagrin, the Data Taker himself. Seriously, the guy had a habit of popping out of nowhere, notebook in hand.

"Stalker much?" she murmured in the green-haired freshman's ear. Currently, she was leaning on the prodigy, giving off a look of…intimacy. And _then _she asks why Inui was so interested. "Your senpai-taichi have a habit of following people."

"Well, it can't be helped," Ryoma said in reply. "That's how they are. Just imagine to what extent they'd go if they found out…"

"Gawd, please don't remind me of that now," she said in an almost pleading voice, the others heard it as well. When she next spoke, her voice was back to its Ryoma-sounding tone. "The match against Hyotei is coming up. Are you excited?"

Ryoma paused at the doors of a very big house. "If they recognized you as our companion after just a few times of seeing you with us, I think they're competent enough. After all, you've been fooling the whole team _and _the whole school."

"I'm not fooling anybody," the girl muttered, sliding the wooden door open. "And you didn't answer my question."

The freshman prodigy glanced back to the post where his teammates were hiding, looked at the pink-clad girl, and motioned to the room upstairs. She nodded and entered the structure with him, simultaneously removing their shoes and calling, "Tadaima!"

"Oi, Shonen, what took you so long? Ara? And Shoujo, is that a _pink _dress you're wearing??" The wild masculine laughter that came after was cut short and by two voices sounding impossibly like one.

"Urusai, Oyaji!/Ero-sennin!"

The pen fell from Inui's limp hands. Kikumaru's jaw was touching the ground, and Fuji's eyes were wide open.

--

**Akari: Did you **_**have **_**to rub in the fact that I was wearing pink until the end of the chapter? Or were you just getting too much satisfaction torturing me?**

**Crizarah: (smiles) I think we both know the answer to that.**

**Akari: o.o Crap, I'm in the same room as a sadistic, plotting maniac! Somebody help me!! (Starts fretting but stops when sees author giving her a blank look) What??**

**Ryoma suddenly pops out behind the writer's **_**beloved **_**OC and says: Well, how do you think I'm faring? **_**You're **_**stuck with one sadistic, plotting maniac. **_**I'm **_**stuck with **_**two.**_

**Akari blinks and stares at him in confusion, before finally understanding. : Um, I guess it's time to end this chapter?**

**Crizarah: Unless you want more horrifying experiences with pink tube dresses and…**

**A look of horror passes the girl's face. She shakes her head and says instead: No!! Let's not…Okay, please minna-san! Reviews would make all of us happy!^.^**

**Ryoma, muttering: And it'll help keep the sadistic prick off of our case.**

**Crizarah: (twitch) What was that?!**

**Both characters run for their lives as the girlish boy/boyish girl pulls a glittering sword out of nowhere.**


	18. Hyotei

_Text _– thoughts, flashbacks, phone calls, or emphasis

**Text **– other language (English, etc.)

_**Text **_– techniques, emphasis, or songs

Text - written

**Wow, how long did it take me to finish these chapters?? Hahah, anyway, I hope you guys would say which writing style (was there any difference?) you prefer for this fic. As I may or may have not said in one of the earlier chapters (my memory is **_**very **_**faulty, sorry), I may try writing a chapter in first person POV just to see which one you like better. Whichever you do, I'll stick to it. Well, on with the story, shall we?**

**Neverending Promise Chapter Eighteen: Hyotei**

The second day that Momoshiro had skipped practice, the finally complete pair of freshmen Regulars noticed Akari's expression. While they were also worried, they had strong feeling that the girl would undoubtedly do something unexpected of her. The two exchanged glances and continued what they were doing.

--

"Momoshiro."

The former Regular stopped hitting the ball against the backboard and turned in time to see Akari catch the ball he missed with her left hand.

"Hey Masato-senpai," he greeted half-heartedly, partially surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." She set down her sling bag and snapped her fingers seven times, unfastening her gakuran in a flourish. She then took out a red racquet from its jacket. "Play with a bored soul for a while?"

"So why were you looking for me, Senpai?" Momoshiro asked when their rally had lasted in silence for more than five minutes.

The girl took a few minutes before answering. "You're not yourself. You're too disappointed. Is it because of the outcome of the Ranking Selections?"

"I'm not a sore loser." He hit the ball harder than he meant, and ended up doing a Jackknife. "Sorry, sorry. Too strong."

Contrary to what Momoshiro thought, the girl twisted her foot, dashed after the ball, and was able to return it with a sharp backhand. She righted herself after the shot, looking the Junior straight in the eye. "You're disappointed. Admit it."

He looked at her, knowing she was right. But even then, pride would not let him directly say so, senpai or not. "Fine, let's say I might be just a little disappointed over what happened. What then?"

Akari looked at him and sighed. She served another ball. "Listen up Momo. Listen carefully because I doubt I'll be doing this again."

"Go shoot." He returned the ball and pretended to be absorbed in their game in the hopes of annoying the senior and stopping her from lecturing.

"It's normal to be disappointed over things like that. Honestly, I'd feel the same if I got removed from the lineup but…" Akari continued the rally, watching Momoshiro cringe at the memory. "…the only ones who haven't experienced that are Tezuka and Syusuke."

'_And I doubt they ever will,'_ she added mentally. "Point is, you've been acting way too depressed and some people worry about you."

"Oh? So you're one of them?" The girl almost grunted in annoyance, recognizing Momoshiro's attempt to distract her. _Had the boy not learned that flirting, especially fake, does not get anywhere?_ "Why would senpai care so much as to go out of her way and suddenly talk to me about this? Isn't Masato-senpai usually silent unless Echizen and Yamato bug you?"

"And _that _is exactly the reason…" Akari jumped and smashed the ball down. "…I know those two enough to know that they're worried even if they don't show it. Especially when they don't show it. And I think it natural, since, in my opinion, Ryoma regards you as his…best friend. The same, I presume, goes for Yamato."

Momoshiro purposely stopped and looked at her, completely missing the ball. "So you're here because of them? They asked you?" A teasing smile came to the Junior's face. "Don't you think they're a bit young for you Senpai?"

"No, no, and that's besides the point." The Senior looked at the towering Junior, her eyes grave. "And I am not as old as you think I am."

He shrugged and walked out of the courts. Akari, in that split second it took for her to decide, knew at once that there was a possibility of regretting what she would say next. "I don't let friends go around brooding about something this shallow."

The instant the Junior's head snapped in her direction, she knew immediately that she had crossed the border. The frustration in the boy's eyes did not register more than what that knowledge had told her. "Shallow?? Is this such a shallow thing? Losing something precious to you? Feh, from what we've all seen, you're pretty much like Tezuka-buchou in the skills department. I doubt you'd know what it feels like, disappointment and defeat."

'_Of all the possible people, he had to choose _that guy _to compare me with…'_ Trying to seal in whatever retort she might have had and succeeding, Akari further deepened the trouble she was in. _And other people said I didn't talk. _She pursed her lips and looked down, speaking in a soft voice. "Compared to seeing your mother killed in front of you at the age of five, yes."

The boy blinked. _'What the…?'_

"Compared to seeing your biological father get dragged along the highway…"

He continued hearing, not quite comprehending.

"…To almost losing your dignity and sense of self-worth because you always get beaten up by older classmates…"

Finally, what she was saying was beginning to sink in.

"And compared to multiple near-death experiences, yes, I think I have the right to say that that's shallow."

"…What?" Momoshiro blurted out. No way was he believing that! It sounded too dramatic to be true; it fit more in a tragic shoujo manga.

The girl was silent for a while before raising her eyes level to his again. When she did, he was given a chance to see an unguarded picture – void of all the masks and facades she had put up during the past how many years. He didn't know whether to be astounded or scared that a person had to go through all of those. "Just remember that there's someone worse off than you. Always." Then she grinned (something she had never done before outside the presence of the two freshmen, might I add) and exited the courts. "Look at Inui; he got booted out of the Regulars' lineup because of a freshie. I don't remember ever seeing him brooding. And which is more humiliating, being beaten by a twelve-year old or losing to one's senpai-taichi, one of which is the captain?"

Akari's lips curled up, her lecture almost over. She covered her racquet after wiping it, giving Momo a clear view of an **R **on the black grip. "Well, ja. I have to go finish something." As she was starting to walk off, she paused. "Oh yeah, one more thing. You have the habit of underestimating an opponent. While overestimation may be harmless, the opposite is another story. Aside from annoying, it's dangerous."

"Besides," she said, walking again. "I don't think Tachibana Ann likes that habit of yours."

She was gone even before Momoshiro could react.

--

"I wonder where Momo-chan-senpai is," one of the freshmen said aloud as they fixed their things after practice. "He's been absent for three days."

"He must've quit already," Horio stated, gaining the attention of the two freshmen Regulars.

"How can you say that!? Momo-chan-senpai wouldn't do such a thing!" Kachiro protested.

Katsuo looked at the two nonchalant boys; they had been quiet all the while. "Aren't you two worried?"

Instead of answering, the two got up and left with their bags hanging from their shoulders.

--

Akari watched from the sidelines the mock match between the ex-Regular and the blonde sister of Tachibana. She approved of the girl's way of teaching the somewhat dense player. And as the two continued playing, the female Senior couldn't help but wonder why they didn't see the gathering of blue-and-grey jersey-wearers on the bleachers near where she was perched. Good for her, she decided to wear a cap with her usual gakuran; most of her hair was tucked neatly under the trucker cap and the shades she wore covered her eyes perfectly.

She wouldn't risk an encounter with them today, whether or not their manager was with them.

"Looks like you're just lounging around here, arn. Are you ready for the oncoming games?"

The two Juniors looked around to find the whole Hyotei team watching them from the bleachers.

"Is he really a Seigaku Regular?" Oshitari taunted, his aloof face giving no hint of his mockery.

Pissed, the player retaliated. "Are you challenging me??"

"Sorry but I only play Doubles," the redhead leered. "Unless you want to have this girl as your partner."

From up on the highest level of the bleachers, Akari could see two figures walking up the numerous steps. Yamato looked smug when his eyes landed on the scene. "Are you done emoting yet?"

"Long time no see, senpai," was Ryoma's greeting from behind the other player.

"Would these be the freshmen Regulars I have heard so much about? The ones said to be Seigaku's secret weapons?" Atobe asked with the slightest hint of mockery. As if that served to be the signal, the others began taunting the Seigaku players, and Gakuto actually jumped over the startled Junior, turning and landing gracefully behind him.

"So how about it?"

Even more annoyed, Momoshiro turned to the two new arrivals. "Echizen, wanna be my Doubles partner?"

"No," was the blunt reply. The taller of the two eyed the pair, Momoshiro looking Echizen in the eye with matching grasping of the shoulders. "When you play Doubles, you're like a wild boar set free."

Twitch. "What'd you say??"

"You don't like the comparison? Fine then, a mad horse," Ryoma jibed.

"Forget Doubles." Players of both schools turned to see Yamato pointing straight at the grey-haired diva. "You're the leader of this group of monkeys, right? How about we settle this on a one-on-one match?"

"Nice, this guy's got guts," Jirou commented, actually impressed by the freshman's daring behavior.

"You better be careful kid; Atobe's not an easy person to beat," came from almost all of their members, half taunting, half warning.

"If you're so good, why don't you play both of us in separate Singles matches?" Ryoma challenged, signature smirk in place.

"Tch. These guys really like taking the limelight, don't they?" Momoshiro mused fondly.

Atobe guffawed. "In front of the Kantou Region, I will defeat you Echizen Ryoma and Yamato Rai, along with the rest of your Regulars!"

--

Ryoma tilted his head to the side, looking just past where the Hyotei monkeys were situated. His eyes were glued on to the gakuran-clad figure. "Just how long do you plan to stay on the side?"

Everyone looked up, some wondering if the kid was hallucinating (they were _sure _they had been the only ones there), and saw the figure already standing. Said person readjusted her cap and did a graceful leap, a backflip from the third level bleachers, going even higher than the redhead had, turning and landing soundlessly behind Rai, just in front of Ryoma.

"Must you always expose me like that?" came the musical voice of the person. At first, even Momoshiro could not tell who it was (Hey, who could blame the chap? The usual thing they hear is a monotonous mezzo soprano.), but as soon as she lifted off her cap, he knew. Lavender hair that long coupled with their military-style uniform can only mean one thing: Akari.

The Junior grinned, almost making a fool out of himself. "Hey Akari-chan-senpai!"

More than enough brows rose to question the name-calling. "What's with the nickname?"

He looked at the Senior and gave a meaningful wink, only receiving a confused look and a swarm of question marks hovering above her head. "Ahw, come on Senpai, don't tell me you forgot what you said yesterday!"

Akari blinked – once, twice – before saying, "You make it sound like it was a confession of sorts." An exaggerated gasp from the two freshmen earned them a look. "Which it was not." She coughed, and addressed the crowd as a whole. "That aside, would the two parties be so kind as to leave this confrontation for later at the Regionals?" _'I really don't want to be acting as a referee seeing as the creeps might identify me.'_

She looked at Oshitari and saw almost immediately, that he _did_ recognize her. As well as the rest of his team. _Oh great._

"I'm leaving," she said abruptly and did so, avoiding a confrontation with the two sides, and earning several blinks from different people.

_The word…is __**'weird'.**_

--

"I guess that's it for today," Ann said, fixing her things. "I'm going home."

The people had left and the only ones remaining in the seldom-used public tennis courts were her and the three Seigaku Tennis Club members. Her fellow Junior went nearer to hear and muttered, "Thanks."

Ann replied with a radiant smile. "Well, I'm off. I know a shortcut. Ja ne."

He watched her leave, a smile plastered on his face. Suddenly, he remembered the presence of the two freshmen. "That reminds me. Echizen, Yamato…Why did the two of you go here?"

The boys looked at each other, answering in chorus. "Nothing in particular."

The Junior watched the two as they walked away, their shadows elongated by the setting sun. It illuminated mirthful eyes and a playful smirk. "Those guys…"

--

"Twenty or thirty laps?"

"Based on his non-attendance for three days, I'd say not less than twenty laps," Inui stated, answering Kawamura's timid question.

"Pssshhh, it's his fault," Kaidoh hissed. Which was true; the bastard didn't have any excuses not to show up.

"Oishi, how many laps do you think?" Kikumaru asked automatically, forgetting the rift with his partner. When it all came back, he looked down, but kept sneaking glances at his motherly Doubles Partner. The Golden Pair looked at each other. Oishi called his partner's name as his partner called his, and ended in the familiar ring of friendly laughter.

"Saa, looks like the Golden Pair's okay too," Fuji smiled.

And while the rest of the team was celebrating Momoshiro's return, Tezuka was far from giving him a welcome-back present. Unless you counted a horrendous amount of laps a present. "Because of you irresponsibility, you will not touch a racquet and will be banned from practice for two days. Go run a hundred laps!"

"Hai, Buchou!" he agreed so easily, it seemed as if he was only assigned five laps instead of twenty times more. He started the exit the courts when the stoic captain called him.

"Momoshiro." The Junior looked back at his captain with an inquiring look. "Get back next month."

He grinned. "Hai!!"

"Now that that's done, let's practice," Fuji said enthusiastically – no doubt relishing the punishment meted out to his poor kouhai, the sadistic genius.

"Who wants to taste my new Hybrid Inui Juice Deluxe?" the newly reinstated Regular asked, receiving incredulous or hell-no looks from others. He found an unsuspecting raven-haired first year that had somehow snuck past their captain and had gotten off without having been assigned laps. "How about it Yamato?"

"N-No thanks, Senpai," Rai immediately answered, his face tinged with a sickly blue.

Tezuka looked at the Regulars and was satisfied that they were practicing hard enough. _Wait, where was their pillar?_ "Where's Echizen?"

"I haven't seen him all day," Oishi replied, immediately starting to worry.

As they walked to the locker room of the boys' tennis club, Akari looked at the tardy freshman. "Better run Rai."

"Ja," Ryoma muttered before running off, skidding to a halt in front of the door. Quiet as a mouse, he turned the knob. Now he only needed to get changed and sneak in unnoticed by their captain…

"I will not let his negligence pass." Passing by, Akari paused to look at the elevated voice of the stern captain. "A hundred laps for his tardiness!"

Back at the locker room, Ryoma flinched.

--

"Hyotei's being fifth is a threat to Siegaku," Tezuka announced to the team in front on him.

Beside him, Ryuzaki nodded. "Seigaku, it's still too early for you to be tired. Hyotei Gakuen's Tennis Club consists of two hundred members, all of whom are gifted players."

"I can't believe the joke of fate," Kikumaru sighed. This meant even more training than they already had!

"It's actually okay," Ryoma quipped, "because there won't be any more hindrances afterwards."

Ryuzaki smirked. "And because of that, another round of racquet practice by request of Ryoma."

The whole team moaned. "You're such a pain O-chibi!!"

--

Tezuka handed the book _Light Haunt _to Fuji. The Tensai had forgotten his copy of the book and opted to borrow from his captain and friend. "Are you sure I can borrow this?"

Tezuka nodded. "Our English is still after lunch."

"Thanks," the genius smiled. "Ah, Tezuka?" The man looked at him inquiringly. "Can I play Akutagawa Jirou at our match against Hyotei?"

"Are you going to avenge Yuuta's defeat?" he asked, remembering. Fuji just smiled as usual, and the ever-punctual student body president began walking back to his classroom.

"Tezuka."

"Hmn?" He turned and saw that his friend's eyes were open, his azure eyes grim.

"Can you really play against the captain of Hyotei, Atobe? Even if you're arm isn't healed yet?" The Seigaku Tennis Captain was taken aback by the choice of words. "If not, then don't."

"You'll just lose."

--

'_In Doubles, perfect harmony is needed. If the minds and actions of the players are not one…There's bound to be chaos…'_

Akari gave off a mushroom sigh as she watched the never-ending taunting that the father and son were doing. Ever since, they had been like that. With a tingle of emotion, she realized that she was inappropriately missing someone. She shook her head to clear it, and was greeted by the sight of Hayato suddenly appearing beside her spot on the temple well.

"Miss me?" he asked, a playful smirk playing on his lips. His expression faltered when he saw the look his cousin gave him. "You can't seriously _still _be upset about the party?"

Ryoma, having ended the game with his father, walked up to them. "Maybe not 'upset'."

"Try _enraged_," the girl muttered curtly, giving the blue-violet-haired boy a mock glare.

"Oi, Shonen, Gaki, Chibi-Gaki, if you don't come back to the house soon, you'll miss dinner!" Nanjirou called. "Save the chitchat for later."

Wordlessly, the three followed the retired professional tennis player back to the Echizen household.

--

Akari handed Ryoma a Ponta and sat on one of the numerous steps of the Tennis Forest Park, wearing black jazz pants, a blue tennis shirt, and an icy blue sweater over it. Speaking in low conversational tones, she commented, "It's the first day and yet the tension is already so high."

"Twenty minutes to registration," Momoshiro muttered, repeated what the PA system had just announced. He lifted a blue flag with Seigaku's crest.

"And then comes two hundred cheering members," Akari quietly said to the freshmen beside her as she watched Hyotei arrive.

"Don't forget the female cheering squad," Rai added.

"Oishi's late," Ryuzaki suddenly said.

"What if he met a pregnant woman that went into labor and had to bring her to the hospital?" Ryoma pondered out loud

Cries of "What are you saying?!" and "Are you an idiot?" came from their fellow members. Nobody was really entertaining that idea.

Ryuzaki's cellphone rang. She answered it, all of the Seigaku students present looking intently at her for news of Oishi. Oh it was Oishi all right. "Hello? Oishi, what's taking you so long?..._Eh!_? You met a pregnant woman? And now you're in the hospital because she's going through labor?"

Ryoma choked on his Ponta, the others gawking incredulously. Akari and Rai barely stifled their laughter. Momo and Kikumaru came up with the twisted idea of dressing Katsuo as Oishi, making him serve as proxy, with the aid of a cap and a marker. Their, masterpiece finished, the trio of Ryoma, Akari and Rai nearly burst out laughing.

The nonsense finally ceased five minutes later, the tension finally getting to them. Finally, Momo announced, "I can go to the hospital and take Oishi-senpai's place. If I run, I can still make it!"

"What if he doesn't make it in time?" Kachiro asked nervously.

Ryoma sipped his Ponta. "Mada mada dane."

--

Time was passing way too slowly for them. It felt like an eternity before Ryuzaki's cellphone rang again. Immediately, everyone's ears perked up. "Hello?...Ah, you're serious? That's not good…we only have a few minutes. All right. No, we're definitely not putting Ryoma in Doubles."

Said person scowled.

"Don't worry. Okay, rest well." She hung up and faced the waiting crowd. "That was Oishi. He sprained his wrist. Very badly."

"What!?" his Doubles partner burst out. "No way! What am I going to do? There's only a few minutes left…"

Suddenly, Akari stood, effectively catching everyone's attention. She pointed out. "Look."

And running as fast as he can was their savior.

"Momo!"

--

"Hey Yuushi, we're going against the Golden Pair today, right?" The speaker was the one who jumped over Momo, the one with unique red hair.

His dark blue-haired partner nodded. "We're better off finding better opponents."

---

Akari reread the lineup for what could possibly be the twelfth time. _'Atobe Keigo vs. Tezuka Kinimitsu, Singles 1. Akutagawa Jirou vs. Fuji Shusuke, Singles 2. Kabaji Monehiro vs. Kawamura Takashi, Singles 3. Yataka Konzu vs. Yamato Rai, Singles 4…'_

"Is this lineup correct?" one of the freshmen asked, not quite believing it.

"It would be quite dangerous if Rai, that is, Ryoma, were to play in Singles 3 against Kabaji," the female Senior said. The others looked at her inquiringly. "Power players are most suited for him."

Ryuzaki nodded. "Yes, that's why Ryoma's just a reserve player for now."

"Don't worry," Fuji assured the nervous Senior. He handed him a racquet. "Here Taka-san."

Kawamura's eyes lit up, eyes burning with passion. **"I feel the fire in me **_**BURNING!!"**_

--

"This is for our dream," Tezuka silently told the playing Junior.

Akari's eyes went to him and lingered at the Hyotei area. She shook her head, shedding the anxious look she had, and took out a pocket camera. She slotted in the memory card. "Sleeping Rai?"

Beside her, the green-haired freshman looked up. "No comment."

Chuckling lightly, she pressed the button and captured Ryoma's sour expression. She gave the glaring boy a sweet smile (and either scared or fascinated those that saw it). He grunted and looked away, fully aware of the new photo in the girl's camera.

"How are this year's Regulars?"

The people looked up and saw the lavender orbs of the guy with messy black hair. The Seniors' faces lit up, with the exception of two ice blocks; Tezuka looked shocked, Akari rigid. "Tezuka-fukubuchou!"

The other people who did not recognize the man looked confused. "Who's he, senpai-taichi?"

"He was the Fukubuchou of our time," Oishi answered pleasantly. "If Yamato-buchou was a strategist, he was more on the skills department."

"He is also our current captain's older cousin," Inui added. The two freshmen exchanged looks and alternately looked at Akari, Tezuka, and his cousin. Well that explained a lot…

Curiously enough, their captain's expression was not one of happy recognition. Rather, it was _pained_ – and maybe, just maybe, shame? "Akira-san…"

The fact was intensified by the fact that Akira did not so much as acknowledge the other, even with the rare look on the younger one's face. He looked at the members of his former club. "So…where's this…_Echizen…_I've been hearing about? Yamato too. They've been wreaking havoc in the minds of the players, if you know what I mean."

"Nya, did you come to see us play? Or did you come to see us drag Hyotei through the courts?" the redheaded acrobatic player asked joyfully. Apparently, they were fond of the man. The rest, having been calm enough to actually hear him asking, were pointing to their freshmen players. The two were staring at him blankly.

Akira paused. "Umm, actually…"

"He's Hyotei's high school assistant coach."

Gasps were heard. A look of utter devastation and confusion were visible on the Seniors' faces. Akira, on his part, was looking extremely baffled – though for a completely different reason.

"Hey, you're the one at the party!" he said pointing at Akari, the person who had spoken. "I _knew _I saw you with them!"

The girl looked at him calmly, no other expression visible on her face. "I did tell you I study at Seigaku."

He frowned and pretended to think. "But if that's true…and you were present in that high class party…then it would mean that you're actually a very rich kid."

"And if I am?"

"Shouldn't you be studying in Hyotei? Or Ouran if you're that rich?"

There was silence as everyone tried to digest what Akira and Akari had just said. Fuji, a confused look on his face, looked at the girl.

"My financial status has nothing to do with it. I choose to study in Seigaku," she answered coolly, answering both Akira and Fuji. She passed her hand through her long hair, proof that she was finalizing the subject. "Is that such a problem?"

"I…Well…" Akira blinked as something caught his eye. Something was glinting on the girl's ear, exposed by her earlier action. He gasped sharply. The silver diamond-shaped earring was set with a small blue topaz at the upper corner, a sapphire at the bottom, a diamond on the right, and an amethyst slightly larger than the rest in the middle. "Hell no…"

"Problem?" the object of his attention asked, tilting her head slightly. Unfortunately for her, this caused something else to move around her neck.

Akira leaned down on the low blue cement wall separating the crowds from the courts, squinting at whatever it was that shone on her neck. Slowly, a grin split his face. "You little – !"

The rest were rendered speechless as the second year high school student jumped over the low concrete wall and hugged the dumbfounded girl senseless. Ryoma's brow rode up and Rai was saying something along the lines of, "So _this _is why she kept avoiding the Hyotei team like a plague."

Finally seeming to realize what was happening, Akari began struggling to get out of the guy's deathgrip. "Oi! What do you think you're doing!? Hanase! Hanaseeee!!"

Fuji smiled, fully knowing what would be next. Akira grasped the girl tighter, earning him a set of not-so-puny kicks in the gut. Struggling Akari pushed the high school assistant coach off, sending the guy crashing head on with the solid wall.

Even in his dazed state, his eyes were still sparkly. His eyes, mere spirals, he was still singing – horribly off-key.

"_**Dareka no kitai ni zutto kotae…Homerarerunoga suki nano desuka?...Naritai jibun wo surikaetemo…Egao wa itsudemo suteki desuka?"**_

_**("Do you like to be praised by…answering everyone's expectations?...Will your smile always be beautiful…Even if you hide your true self?)**_

Akari twitched.

"_**Boku wa kanashii hodo hikari dashita shiroi yami kirisaku tsubasa ni nare…"**_

_**("I'll became wings that outshine your sadness, cutting through the white darkness…")**_

An irkmark appeared on her raised, clenched fist.

"_**Takaku dono kurai toned ittara haruka tooku no kimi ga mienaku naru no?"**_

_**("How high would I have to fly to lose sight of you, so far away?")**_

The vein throbbed.

"_**Yaiba no you na kaze fuku sekai…Mamorubeki mono wan an na no ka?...Hitotsu hitotsu itami o shiru tabi…Hontou no jibun e to chikadzuku…"**_

_**("In this world where the wind blows like a knife…What is it that I should protect? In this journey where I know one pain after another…I draw closer to my true self…")**_

Irritation was finally seeping into her face, cracks slithering on her normally perfectly stoic mask.

"_**Mata kaze ni sasowarete hitori sora o miageru…Aenai yoru wa hoshi ni negai o kakeru no…"**_

_**("Called by the wind again, I look up at the sky alone…On nights when we can't meet, I send my wish to the stars.")**_

She snapped, lashing out at him in a way that cut through the daze silence, the thick confusion, and the utter shock.

" – Aniki!!"


	19. Important

Important Announcement:

Since I've oh-so-conveniently forgotten to put in some...err, few?...details, I will put this on hold for anywhere between two weeks to a month. The on-hold time will depend on when I will be able to clean up the mess I made of my story, insert the missing details, and put it back up. Don't worry though; I'll repost it all in one go, adding the latest chapter as a sort of compromise. I'll also include an auxillary "chapter" that indicates the parts with added stuff.

I really hope you'll bear with me, and my stupidity XD

Wish me luck in re-doing all of those chapters while despringing all of my notebooks, sewing them, wrapping my books in plastic cover, arranging my desk, and preparing my stuff for school on June 15. Oh, and let's not forget the practices and...rea's demands XD (for Simply Destiny readers)

Much thanks,  
crizarah 


	20. Migration

**[14 July 2012]**

**ALL RIGHT PEOPLE. I HAVE STARTED POSTING AGAIN.**

**Due to several restrictions imposed here and other reasons, as of today, 14 July 2012, 22:14 +8GMT, I've started uploading fics on a new site.**

** crizarah dot wordpress dot com**

**Take out the spaces and replace "dot" with actual dots.**

**Updates will be still be erratic at best, but I will finish them. I have added motivation now because I always see it when I post something for school. So if you guys are still interested, go over there and read the stories I've revised since posting them here. ALL OF THEM ARE WORKS IN PROGRESS, NONE OF THEM HAVE BEEN COMPLETED YET.**

**Things already there are:**

***Never Ending Promise**

***Siriusly Bothered, Severely Annoyed, Remuneratively Curious (a new fic I'm working on in the HP fandom)**

***Simply Destiny**

**Thanks to those who'll swing by!**


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